MONTE VISTA — School counseling has come a long way since the days when it was part of a trip to the principal’s office for unruly kids.

Today’s programs are collaborative efforts benefiting students, parents, teachers, administrators — and the community.



First of its kind

In Monte Vista, elementary school counselors Peggy Haslar of Marsh and Rachel Brown of Bill Metz are hard at work on a program that will become the first of its kind in Colorado.

Rather than existing only to address the problems in schools, local counseling programs are becoming an integral part of each student’s daily educational environment. The program ensures that each student gets a 100 percent guidance lesson.

Historically, many school counselors spent much of their time responding to the needs of a small percentage of students, typically those who were high achievers or who were high risk.

ASCA’s National Model outlines a program allowing school counselors to direct services to every student.

As educators who are specially trained in childhood and adolescent development, school counselors can take a leadership role in effecting systemic change in a school.



Consistency sought

Haslar and Brown point out that school counseling has not been consistent from state to state or even district to district, leading to a misunderstanding about what school counseling is and what it can do for a school. School counseling programs are often not seen as a crucial component of student achievement and counselors are not used to their fullest.

The two women are working on a counseling model for the Monte Vista schools that will be submitted at the end of January in an effort to become the first in Colorado to be recognized as an ASCA (American School Counseling Association) model program.

While all four Monte Vista schools are participating, the elementary level counselors are working toward theirs becoming a model program.









For the complete article see the 10-14-2009 issue.

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