GET THE APP

International Journal of Guidance and Counselling

Commentary - International Journal of Guidance and Counselling ( 2022) Volume 6, Issue 2

Responsibilities of counsellors and the elements that influence the school environment

R Yoshimoto*
 
Department of Guidance and Counselling, University of Georgia, Athens, United States
 
*Corresponding Author:
R Yoshimoto, Department of Guidance and Counselling, University of Georgia, Athens, United States, Email: ryu@gmail.com

Received: 05-Aug-2022, Manuscript No. IJGC-22-72083; Editor assigned: 08-Aug-2022, Pre QC No. IJGC-22-72083 (PQ); Reviewed: 22-Aug-2022, QC No. IJGC-22-72083; Revised: 29-Aug-2022, Manuscript No. IJGC-22-72083 (R); Published: 05-Sep-2022, DOI: 10.15651/IJGC.22.06.006

Description

Different countries approach school counselling in different ways, and these variations may be caused by a number of different things. Some of these aspects were mentioned by Martin, Lauterbach, and Carey as cultural factors, national needs, societal movements, school counselling models, legislation and educational policy, and features of the public education system. Recently, the role and activities of school counsellors have drawn attention from all around the world, and India has begun to acknowledge this. Although counselling as a profession in schools is still in its infancy, its history may be traced back to the Guru-Shishya system in the Vedic period.

Only male high caste pupils had access to education during the Vedic periods. Numerous traditional ways of thinking and living were altered by the British occupation, and public education played a significant role in civilizing society and fostering the development of moral and effective citizens. Only after the country gained independence from British domination did education policies emerge. Government-implemented recommendations concentrated on simplifying schooling with an emphasis on academics. A few decades later, India had new prospects due to globalization, industrialisation, urbanization, and easy access to digital media, but the system was unprepared to handle the resulting rapid changes.

The prevalence of mental health conditions including depression among school-age teenagers has since been observed to be rising. The function and duty of the school to provide school counselling services took center stage in India since schools are an effective setting for connecting with children. In the list of nations where school-based counselling is developed but not mandated, India was included with a number of other nations. Only secondary schools offered counselling, and private schools were the only ones that offered it frequently in the primary divisions, it was reported. Adolescents' general well-being may suffer significantly if supportive networks and mental health treatments are absent or difficult to reach. Despite rising evidence of the benefits of school counselling, school counsellors still confront a number of difficulties at work. The purpose, role, training, and strategies of school-based counselling vary greatly around the world.

Administrative Role

The results of the study indicate that the Administrative Role is not thought to be a counselor's primary responsibility. The duties of the school counsellor are influenced by the administration's expectations. Certain school counsellors claimed that their principals and some teachers expected them to "perform non-guidance and non-teaching related responsibilities" and to instruct students in academic areas. Researchers have also admitted to first believing that the school counselor's duties were restricted to talking to the students and helping them with their emotional needs before later discovering that the counselor's duties are far broader. Lack of understanding among the parties involved in school counselling, including parents, students and administrators uncertainty regarding special education and lack of knowledge on the roles. School counsellors frequently worry about the tension between their clients' personal values and the school's rules.

Educational and Career Planning

The growth of research on problems in schools can also be credited with raising awareness of the need for the service. The study's findings showed that the Indian setting had not been thought of as being a good fit for educational and career preparation, which was the counselor's primary duty. It has been determined that the role of the school counsellor includes the need to emphasize the use of career information and assistance to groups regarding their future. Parents may have anticipated the counsellors to give them knowledge and career guidance because guide was typically connected with vocation.

Counseling Services

The findings indicated that a school counselor's primary responsibility in India is to provide counselling services. The changes in India's economy, family structure, and culture are to blame for the rise in the demand for counselling services. According to an assessment of the counselling psychology curriculum in India, trainee counsellors continue to take a significant amount of training in counselling theories and procedures. As a result, it seems to reason that school counsellors would feel better at ease carrying out their training. Individual and group counselling are a significant component of the programme, and trainees in counselling can also learn about monitoring the efficacy of the counselling services and crisis counselling. The school counsellor may have to plan and limit activities depending on the limited funds available due to the limited resources allotted to counselling by the school administration. Additionally, there is a lack of qualified mental health specialists in India who can assist the population in large.