Leadership
The ASCA National Model (2012) calls on school counselors to be leaders, advocates, collaborators, and systemic change agents. These four themes surround the work that school counselors do in delivering comprehensive, data-driven school counseling programs to students. Leadership can be viewed as the foundation of the other three themes, as all of these skills require some degree of leadership (ASCA, 2012). Many individuals view principals as the sole leaders in their schools, but school counselors can - and should - share in this leadership role due to their unique backgrounds and focus on student success (Dollarhide, Gibson, & Saginak, 2008). School counselors possess core leadership skills including "knowing how to read people, being empathetic and encouraging, and bringing a group to consensus" (Chen-Hayes, Ockerman, & Mason, 2014, p. 3).
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There are many styles of leadership that school counselors may display and practice. Bolman and Deal's (1991) four "contexts" of leadership include structural (leadership in the building of viable organizations), human resource (leadership via empowerment and inspiration of followers), political (leadership in the use of interpersonal and organizational power), and symbolic (leadership via the interpretation and re-interpretation of the meaning of change). School counselors may be more likely to follow the structural and human resource styles in their leadership practices (Mason & McMahon, 2009). This is because these styles align with common school counseling skills in solidifying the focus of programs, organizing programs, analyzing results, and expressing beliefs that all students have the ability to achieve success (ASCA, 2012). Another prevalent leadership style that goes had in hand with the new transformations in the school counseling field is transformational leadership (Mason & McMahon, 2009). Transformational school counselor leaders "are recognized as change agents who are good role models, who can create and articulate a clear vision for an organization, who empower followers to achieve a higher standard, who act in ways that make others want to trust them, and who give meaning to organizational life" (Mason & McMahon, 2009, p. 108). With a primary purpose gathering all forces around the common goal of empowering students to succeed, this leadership style aligns well with the role of the school counselor. Best practice for school counselors is being flexible by utilizing multiple styles of leadership to drive their efforts, focusing on common, foundational skills in modeling excellence, shared decision making, challenging inequities (ASCA, 2012; Chen-Hayes et al., 2014).
Being a leader involves showing initiative and taking the leap to tackle a challenge (Chen-Hayes et al., 2014). One of the first challenges that school counselors must overcome in becoming a leader is mastering the issue of role inconsistency by establishing a clear, professional identity (ASCA, 2012). Once stakeholders understand the role of the school counselor, they will gain a better understanding of the school counselor's purpose in the school and position as a leader. This improved understanding can then lead to school staff, parents, and students' increased support of the school counselor. Building a solid, supportive network of stakeholders is the primary technique that upholds all other school counselor leadership strategies (Dollarhide et al., 2008). In developing their comprehensive school counseling programs, school counselor leaderss collaborate with these stakeholders to develop clear, explicitly defined goals to guide interventions within the school counseling program. The most successful school counselor leaders begin with goals focused on primarily school-based change before branching out to implement district-wide initiatives (Dollarhide et al., 2008). This too is related to building supportive relationships, as district-level stakeholders are more likely to buy into school counselors' causes once they see positive results at the school level. Ultimately, when implementing school counselor leadership strategies, it is necessary to start with a solid foundation and surround yourself with positive influences.
Being a leader involves showing initiative and taking the leap to tackle a challenge (Chen-Hayes et al., 2014). One of the first challenges that school counselors must overcome in becoming a leader is mastering the issue of role inconsistency by establishing a clear, professional identity (ASCA, 2012). Once stakeholders understand the role of the school counselor, they will gain a better understanding of the school counselor's purpose in the school and position as a leader. This improved understanding can then lead to school staff, parents, and students' increased support of the school counselor. Building a solid, supportive network of stakeholders is the primary technique that upholds all other school counselor leadership strategies (Dollarhide et al., 2008). In developing their comprehensive school counseling programs, school counselor leaderss collaborate with these stakeholders to develop clear, explicitly defined goals to guide interventions within the school counseling program. The most successful school counselor leaders begin with goals focused on primarily school-based change before branching out to implement district-wide initiatives (Dollarhide et al., 2008). This too is related to building supportive relationships, as district-level stakeholders are more likely to buy into school counselors' causes once they see positive results at the school level. Ultimately, when implementing school counselor leadership strategies, it is necessary to start with a solid foundation and surround yourself with positive influences.
As a new school counselor, it is easy to understand the importance of practicing leadership in my school, but harder to figure out how to actually apply those skills. Chen-Hayes et al. (2014) suggested that new school counselors can start practicing leadership roles in their schools by being visible and getting to know people. From the start of my internship I tried to follow this suggestion by meeting face-to-face with teachers, administrators, and other staff members as often as I could so they would see me as a person and a professional rather than "just an intern". I have a master schedule list in my office with every staff member's name on it, and at the beginning of the school year, meeting every person on this list this seemed like an impossible task in such a large school. But now that I am halfway through the school year, I am amazed at the number of people I have been able to check off this list, as well as how often I utilize these relationships I have built. I have found that just taking a brief moment to show interest in a teacher's life and skills has become vital to fall back on in future interactions. Now, when I need a teacher's input on a student, I am able to stop in anytime and feel welcomed and valued because they know me and know my purpose: to help their students succeed.
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References:
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (1991). Leadership management and effectiveness: A multi-frame, multi-factor analysis. Human Resource Management, 30, 509–533.
Chen-Hayes, S., Ockerman, M., & Mason, E.C.M. (2014). 101 Solutions for School Counselors and Leaders in Challenging Times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Dollarhide, C. T., Gibson, D. M., & Saginak, K. A. (2008). New counselors' leadership efforts in school counseling: Themes from a year-long qualitative study. Professional School Counseling, 11(4), 262-271.
Mason, E. M., & McMahon, H. G. (2009). Leadership practices of school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 13(2), 107-115.
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (1991). Leadership management and effectiveness: A multi-frame, multi-factor analysis. Human Resource Management, 30, 509–533.
Chen-Hayes, S., Ockerman, M., & Mason, E.C.M. (2014). 101 Solutions for School Counselors and Leaders in Challenging Times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Dollarhide, C. T., Gibson, D. M., & Saginak, K. A. (2008). New counselors' leadership efforts in school counseling: Themes from a year-long qualitative study. Professional School Counseling, 11(4), 262-271.
Mason, E. M., & McMahon, H. G. (2009). Leadership practices of school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 13(2), 107-115.