Running head: School Counselor Belief Statement

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Anthony A. Foland
Seattle University
Counseling 50
!arch "# $01$
School Counselor Belief Statement
Belief Statement
(a) A brief introduction to your belief statement, including the sections you will address:
As an as%iring school counselor# & feel it is essential that every school should have a
com%rehensive school'counseling %rogram that is endorsed through the colla(oration of %arents
or guardians# staff# and community. )Author# $005*. & (elieve that +hen successfully esta(lished
it allo+s students to gain the %ro%er su%%ort needed in order to succeed academically# in their
career# socially and emotionally. ,his %a%er +ill address my current theoretical orientation# ho+
it is %racticed and a%%lica(le in the school setting# s%ecific area interests & have in regards to the
school counseling field and ho+ social -ustice is integrated into that %hiloso%hy.
(b) Your current theoretical orientation and how it is relevant to K-12 settings (see chater 2 of
!tone " #ahir):
Social -ustice theory is my current theoretical orientation. ,his theory is the idea that
school counselors need to address the needs of their students (y loo.ing outside of the classroom
and into the e/ternal factors that %otentially could affect the students %roductivity in regards to
academics# career# social and %ersonal life. ,his a%%roach is relevant to the 0'1$ school setting
(ecause it loo.s at the relationshi% (et+een the students academic1school %erformance and their
e/ternal influences that are associated +ith them such as: environment# gender# ethnicity# race#
socio'economic status and cultural (ac.ground. )2riffin 3 Steen# $011*
(c) Your views of the ractice of school counseling, including the role school counselors lay in
heling to ensure that all students are college ready:
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School Counselor Belief Statement
School counselors can %ractice social -ustice theory (y (ecoming social agents for change
+ithin the school# community and %u(lic. School counselors that are social agents for change
are a+are that there are systemic o(stacles that %er%etuate ine4ualities. ,hey contest this (y
o%erating +ithin the social -ustice frame+or. (y educating students# school administrators#
faculty mem(ers# community and the %u(lic to %romote e4uity for all. )Ratts# 5e0ruyf 3 Chen'
6ayes# $007*. ,his means that school counselors have to move outside of their conventional
roles of +or.ing solely in schools and shift to+ard colla(orating +ith .ey sta.eholders to
concentrate on educational ine4uities that can %otentially affect the academic achievement such
as (iases and stereoty%es to+ards race# ethnicity# gender# and socioeconomic status. )2riffin 3
Steen# $011*. Social -ustice theory creates a+areness and educates the school# community and
%u(lic. By (ringing to light these issues# it allo+s schools to understand +hat needs to (e
systemically changed in order for students to succeed on to a %ost'secondary education.
(d) $ow the A!%A &thical !tandards (' 1(2 in A!%A, " chater ) of !tone " #ahir) guide
your ractice:
,he %ractice of social -ustice theory adheres to the ASCA ethical standards (y never
letting the counselor im%ose their o+n (eliefs or (iases on the student. )Author# $005*. ,he
school counselor must value the confidential rights of the relationshi% +ith the student.
Confidentiality should only (e disclosed if there is imminent danger to anyone or legal
re4uirements that demand other+ise. ,he %ractice of social -ustice theory never im%oses the
counselor8s (eliefs on the student and is careful on disclosing %ersonal e/%eriences. &f values
conflict (et+een the student and counselor# the counselor should try and understand rather than
devalue. ,he school counselor should never assume anything a(out the student# stereoty%e or#
%resume +hat is (est. 9astly# the counselor should al+ays res%ect the student. )Author# $005*.
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School Counselor Belief Statement
(e) Any areas of secial interest (e'g', diversity issues, career counseling, educational
leadershi, achievement ga, bullying, etc'):
5iversity issues are of s%ecial interest in this theoretical orientation due to the im%act
they have in the develo%ment of students in school. ,hrough e/amining a student8s race# socio'
economic status# ethnicity# gender# culture# etc: it allo+s for the school counselor to create and
%romote a+areness regarding systemic ine4uities that cultivate an un-ust school environment
+hich inhi(its student academic achievement. By ta.ing the time to evaluate diversity issues# it
(rings a(out stronger levels of com%etency that can (e used to alleviate these institutionali;ed
%ro(lems.
(f) $ow you incororate social *ustice into your hilosohy of school counseling:
Social <ustice can (e incor%orated into this %hiloso%hy (ecause it recogni;es the
ine4uality that e/ists in society and uses social advocacy and activism to address it. )Ratts#
$00*. &t ac.no+ledges that the student8s %ro(lems are associated from living in a society that
has social institutions in %lace that create and %er%etuate o%%ression. Social <ustice theory
attem%ts to correct this (y encouraging counselors to (e %ro'active in the +orld +ith the intent of
em%o+ering the client1student# su%%orting community1school colla(oration and# educating the
%u(lic. )Ratts# $00*. ,his allo+s counselors to ta.e u% the role as social agents for change# +ith
the %ur%ose of %romoting advocacy in all levels )micro'meso'macro* of society in order to
achieve e4uality. )Ratts# $00*.
(g) %onclusion'
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School Counselor Belief Statement
& love the social -ustice theory. ,he idea of hel%ing a student find connections (et+een
their schooling and the environment they are e/%osed to is %o+erful. & thin. that this theory is
very a%%lica(le to the 0'1$ schooling (ecause it (rings to light that the %ro(lems a student faces
originated e/ternally through the o%%ressive systemic conditions that +ere then internali;ed (y
the individual. As a future counselor# & +elcome the tas. of %romoting advocacy on an
individual school# and %u(lic level. & (elieve in the social -ustice a%%roach and feel that it is a
strong theory that can (e used to hel% students that are facing un-ust conditions.
.
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School Counselor Belief Statement
References
American School Counselor Association )$005*. +he ASCA ,ational -odel: A .ramewor/ for
!chool %ounseling 0rograms, !econd &dition' Ale/anderia# >A: Author.
Ratts# >. )$00*. Social -ustice counseling: ,o+ard the develo%ment of a fifth force among
counseling %aradigms. 1ournal of $umanistic %ounseling, &ducation and #eveloment,
(2# 1?0'17$.
Ratts# !.# 5e0ruyf# 9.# 3 Chen'6ayes# S. F. )$007*. ,he ACA Advocacy Com%etencies: A
social -ustice advocacy frame+or. for %rofessional school counselors. 0rofessional
!chool %ounseling# 11)$*# 0'7.
2riffin# 5.# 3 Steen# S. )$011*. A social -ustice a%%roach to school counseling:. 1ournal for
!ocial Action in %ounseling and 0sychology# 3)1*# 7='@5.
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