Strengths Based School Counseling

Despite calls for a more preventive and developmental mode of functioning, school counseling has tended to be driven by a reactive and sometimes crisis orientation. Like social workers and school, counseling, and clinical psychologists, school counselors typically function to alleviate deficits, often in a small percentage of the students they serve. Although this orientation has served school counselors well in many instances, it is not empowering, it does not serve all students, and it does not replace those deficits with the type of positive characteristics and abilities that schools are attempting to develop. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive look at the theory, research, and intervention strategies that comprise a strengths-based, developmental approach to school counseling. In keeping with ASCA recommendations, the Strengths-Based School Counseling (SBSC) framework discusses academic, personal/social and career development outcomes for all students at the elementary, middle and secondary school levels. Other key features include: integrative frameworkSBSC builds upon contemporary research from a variety of areas: school counseling, developmental psychology, school psychology, education, positive psychology, resiliency, and social work. evidence-based interventionsdetailed examples of successful evidence-based interventions and environments are presented at the elementary, middle, and high school levels for each major developmental area (academic, personal/social, and career) identified in ASCAs National Model. readability and pedagogybeautifully written, the text includes lists of key points, tables of student strengths, illustrative examples, and student exercises.

Despite calls for a more preventive and developmental mode of functioning, school counseling has tended to be driven by a reactive and sometimes crisis orientation. Like social workers and school, counseling, and clinical psychologists, school counselors typically function to alleviate deficits, often in a small percentage of the students they serve. Although this orientation has served school counselors well in many instances, it is not empowering, it does not serve all students, and it does not replace those deficits with the type of positive characteristics and abilities that schools are attempting to develop. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive look at the theory, research, and intervention strategies that comprise a strengths-based, developmental approach to school counseling. In keeping with ASCA recommendations, the Strengths-Based School Counseling (SBSC) framework discusses academic, personal/social and career development outcomes for all students at the elementary, middle and secondary school levels. Other key features include: integrative framework?SBSC builds upon contemporary research from a variety of areas: school counseling, developmental psychology, school psychology, education, positive psychology, resiliency, and social work. evidence-based interventions?detailed examples of successful evidence-based interventions and environments are presented at the elementary, middle, and high school levels for each major developmental area (academic, personal/social, and career) identified in ASCA?s National Model. readability and pedagogy?beautifully written, the text includes lists of key points, tables of student strengths, illustrative examples, and student exercises.

Combining both the theory and practice of strengths-based therapy, Elsie Jones-Smith introduces current and future practitioners to the modern approach of practice—presenting a model for treatment as well as demonstrations in clinical practice across a variety of settings. This highly effective form of therapy supports the idea that clients know best about what has worked and has not worked in their lives, helps them discover positive and effective solutions through their own experiences, and allows therapists to engage their clients in their own therapy. Drawing from cutting-edge research in neuroscience, positive emotions, empowerment, and change, Strengths-Based Therapy helps readers understand how to get their clients engaged as active participants in treatment.

This resource offers counseling strategies to promote adolescents' overlooked strengths and create healthy alternatives to problem behaviors such as bullying, drug use, violence, and promiscuity.

With accessible strategies grounded in trauma-informed education and positive psychology, this book equips teachers to support all students, particularly the most vulnerable. It will help them to build their resilience, increase their motivation and engagement, and fulfil their full learning potential within the classroom. Trauma-informed, strengths-based classrooms are built upon three core aims: to support children to build their self-regulatory capacities, to build a sense of relatedness and belonging at school, and to integrate wellbeing principles that nurture growth and identify strengths. Taking conventional approaches to trauma one step further, teachers may create a classroom environment which helps students to meet their own needs in a healthy way and progress academically. Based on the successful Berry Street education strategies pioneered by the authors, this book also includes comprehensive case studies, learning points and opportunities for self-reflection, fully supporting teachers to implement these strategies within the classroom.

`I recommend this book to anyone who lives or works with families, children or teenagers' - Nurturing Potential `This is a valuable book, worth attention in every child and family service. My own agency has ordered a copy!' - Robert Cumming, Nurturing Potential `John Sharry's book is a jewel in the solution-focused literature. It is clearly and engagingly written, draws on a host of ideas from different therapeutic approaches and is packed with practical examples. There is no better book on strengths-based therapy with children and adolescents. Every team should have one' - Chris Iveson, Brief Therapy Practice Counselling Children, Adolescents and Families describes an innovative approach to therapeutic work which builds on the strengths of children and their parents. As the author's experience shows, helping clients to focus on potential solutions rather than problems can be a powerful means of engaging them in the therapeutic process, even in the most conflicting family circumstances. Harnessing the client's personal, family and community resources in this way also helps counteract their feelings of powerlessness and the possibility of increasing reliance on professional services. Part One outlines the basic principles of a solution-focused and strengths-based approach, tackling such thorny issues as how and when to use diagnosis. Part two describes creative applications of the approach, using groupwork, play-based activities and video feedback. Part Three, examines practical issues which arise in more 'difficult' cases, such as child abuse and suicidal teenagers and children. This book is aimed at professionals and trainees in fields including social work, mental health, childcare, education, psychotherapy and counselling.

Measure the difference you make in students′ academic, career, and personal/social development! Today′s school counselors are under enormous pressure to document their effectiveness by using data and producing quantitative accountability reports—whether or not they′ve had the appropriate training. This authoritative guide from highly respected counselor educators and trainers gives preservice and inservice school counselors the tools to knowledgeably identify evidence-based practices in their field and to use data in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs and interventions. Evidence-Based School Counseling provides a practical process for using evidence to determine three critical issues: what needs to be done, which interventions should be implemented, and whether or not the interventions are effective. Aligned with the American School Counselor Association′s National Model, this resource offers counselors skill-building guidelines for: Selecting, collecting, and analyzing data for informed planning Carrying out action research and building collaborative partnerships Measuring student learning and behavior change Communicating results to stakeholders, and more As counselors successfully incorporate data-based decision making and program planning into their work, they will witness positive academic and personal changes in the lives of their students.