College of Education
Course Code
Course Title School Guidance and Counseling
Module Number 001
Module Title The School Guidance and Counselor
Lesson Number 001
Lesson Title “How do we care for our students?”
Introduction to School Guidance and Counselor
Week Number & Dates Week 1 - 3
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Identify various ways on how to build students’ resilience in this time of pandemic,
2. Distinguish the responsibilities that are under the school guidance and counseling
program,
3. Reflect on the responsibilities of a school guidance counselor and a teacher; and
4. Write an expository essay underscoring the misconception on guidance counseling and
the truth behind the program.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES
1. Peer discussion
2. Online lecture/Discussion
3. Writing session
INTRODUCTION AND VALUES INTEGRATION
School is coined as a second home to learners. It is a place, after their home, where they
can feel safe physically and emotionally. Inside the premise of the school, learners are honed
with positivity through different learning experiences that help them recognize their strengths
and weaknesses which leads to their development as a unique individual.
An effective guidance and counseling program has a significant effect to the
development of the learners as it seeks to focus on their holistic development in four areas-
personal development, academic progress, college selection and career choice.
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Its goals and objectives contribute to the students’ growing awareness and understanding
of themselves, development of self-concept, attitude and values, intellectual, psychological-
emotional, social and moral maturity, for optimum development and achievement as a unique
and a balance person (D. Tulio, 2018).
BODY
A. How do we care for our students?
COVID-19 pandemic affected the lives of billions of people around the globe. It
brought national crisis that put us in uncertainty. This crisis did not only affect the
economic power of a nation but most importantly, the ones who make nations strong and
alive- their citizens.
The pandemic has greatly affected and challenged the educational sector specially
the developing nations, like us. Nations, like Philippines, aren’t yet ready and fully
prepared in shifting its conventional classes to online because of the availability of I.T
infrastructure. This further challenged the nation in seeking ways on how to deliver quality
education at the home of each learner.
Moreover, the psychosocial mental health of our learners has been affected by this
crisis because of the quarantine restriction being implemented nationwide. This led to the
creation of DepEd programs that will provide psychosocial support to learners, like
T.A.L.A.: Tuklasin, Alamin, Likhain at Alalahanin, OKKK! Tambayan (Online Kahusayan
at Katatagan ng Kabataan) and Kakaiba-yanihan. Further, leaders and teachers have
become more creative in thinking of ways on how to ensure a strong learners’ mental
health. Here are the several practices and tips from various educational leaders abroad
(cited in Unmasked: Educational Leaders in Crisis by The Head Foundation):
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1. The Two-pronged approach by Principal Caroline Widjanarko
a. On students’ Resilience
School counselors of Tzu Chi Secondary School has found the
importance of gratitude journaling for students where they
(students) are learning to be positive and thankful of what they have
amid the situation they are in. This provides them an opportunity to
reflect on the positive things which they have than to anxious on
things that they don’t.
It is underscored in the school that counseling should always be
preventive rather than curative in handling students’ mental health.
The school has strengthened further its relationship with the parents
to create a strong circle where students are at the core, safeguarding
them.
b. On Support System
Tzu Chi Secondary School provides well-being seminar for parents
to help them manage their stress levels. The school also organizes
parent-children activities to strengthen the bonds of the children and
their parents even at the comfort of their homes.
2. Engaging Students using the Available Platforms by Principal Sofiandi
Effendi
“…This helped to direct energy and effort to implementing programs that
are beneficial to the students, instead of spending additional time learning a
new platform when existing platforms could serve the same purpose.”
It is Principal Sofiandi’s belief that the best tools to be used in this time of
pandemic are the ones which the students are already familiar with. In his
school, the Budi Luhur Senior High School, they are using Instagram as a
platform in teaching:
a. Students are tasked to post motivational quote to the start the
week.
b. A teacher broadcast live on Instagram about a topic his/her
students where they can interact by sending emojis and asking
questions via the comment section
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c. They are using Instagram in providing mental health seminars
where resource speakers are invited to speak.
d. An online campaign for school ambassadors is being conducted
through Instagram.
3. The THREE things you can do to support the mental health of your
students:
a. Encourage them to share their feelings,
b. Encourage self-care, and
c. Encourage communication.
Source: Unmasked: Educational Leaders in a Crisis by The HEAD Foundation
Share: Do you know a special program being offered in one of your local schools about
psychosocial mental health aid? Share it in your class.
B. The School Guidance and Counselor
A school counselor is a counselor and educator who works in schools and have
historically been referred to as “guidance counselors”, “educational counselors” or “school
counselor”.
1. System Support
a. Consultation with teachers, administrators,
b. In-service education and support; and
c. Parent education and support
2. What is not part of the counseling and guidance program?
a. Not bad
b. Not a psychiatric investigator
c. Not a quasi-administrator
3. Some of the most complicated and challenging aspects of life are figuring out
how to relate to and communicate with others…
Some of the issues they may struggle with are:
a. Building, maintaining and sometimes, transitioning out of friendships,
b. Working and playing with peers who
i. Feel, think and do things differently
ii. May hurt, tease, leave out or manipulate.
4. Ways in which students participate in counseling, mediation, or problem-
solving sessions:
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a. Self-referral (95% of individual is self-referred),
b. Included by another student in a request for help in resolving a problem;
and
c. Referral by teachers, principal or parent.
5. Four Program Components:
CAREER
EMOTIONAL DEV’T ACADEMIC
SOCIAL
With all the enumerated responsibilities of a school guidance and counselor, how
can you see now a school without a strong guidance program? As a future teacher,
what can you do to strengthen a school guidance program?
REFLECT
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Write an expository essay underscoring the misconception on guidance
counseling and the truth behind the program. (Minimum of 300 and
maximum of 500 words)
Criteria: Content
RESPOND (Substance, Consistency and Parallelism)- 50%
ND Organization- 30%
Originality and Grammar 20%
(Proper usage of paraphrasing,
direct and indirect quotation)
TOTAL: 100%
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
School guidance and counseling plays an important role in the development of the learners
while they are in the school. Counselors are at the frontline in safeguarding the wholeness of a
child or a learner. Their mental health and safety within the premise of the school is the primary
focus of school guidance program. These programs are within the components guidance office
which are being offered and catered to all the learners.
In this time of pandemic, the guidance program plays an important part in building a strong
communication with the learners as well as with their parents to establish a strong circle of bond.
These are in forms of various programs and activities which can be brought to the homes of each
learner together with their family.
REFERENCES
The HEAD Foundation (2020). Unmasked: Educational Leaders in Crisis: A Handbook for
Educators. The HEAD Foundation: Singapore.
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Prepared by: JHON CARLO S. VILLA
Course Facilitator
Checked by: CRYSTALYN GALINDO
BEED Program Head
Noted by: JOHN MARK F. BONDOC
Dean, College of Education
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