Multicultural Counseling

A counselor should consider those several cultures, multiculturalism has been defined as the forth force in psychology, one which complements the psychodynamic, behavioral and humanistic explanations of human behavior.

We have four dimensions of cultures, the power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity and femininity. A counselor must go with different process of counseling. This includes self awareness, awareness of ones own culture, awareness of racism, sexism and poverty, awareness of individual differences, awareness of other cultures, awareness of diversity, lastly is the skills and techniques on how will you apply those.

As regards with this matters, multicultural awareness continuum must go through which a counselor recognize those culturally different clients, like for example when it comes on sexism, a person is being discriminat0ry abuse towards members of opposite sex, so the counselor must develop several techniques and skills for them to become more competent

Current Trends and Issues in Guidance and Counseling

In every work or in every institution there are always issues that they've encountered. Like in guidance and counseling one of the issues they're facing is about the professional title, wherein some of the professional in field prefer to be called guidance counselor while the other prefer school counselor. The growing trend is for counselors to be seen as professionals in a large system, working fluidly with all aspects within the system. Their duties are larger and wider compare to duties of vocational guidance counselors in the past. Aside from professional title, there is also a   major trend in education is the demand for accountability and evaluation.

There are different issues and trends in the field of guidance & counseling. Especially in school counseling there are many issues that a guidance counselor is facing because a school counselor have more duties than those practiced by vocational guidance counselors. The duties of a school counselor is assisting in preventing students from being involved with many difficulties such as participating in gangs, dropping out of school, becoming a teenage parent, using drugs and participating in or becoming victim of act of violence.

These difficulties or problem concerning with students are serious problems of youth nowadays. It is now the duty of a school counselor to influence the students to avoid this kind of activities and problems and also it his/her duty to provide safe environment for students. Lastly a counselor like school counselor does not attempt to solve the students problem for them, they only try to help them to solve their problems and clarify the persons own thinking.

Guidance Services

Placement and Career Services

Graduating students are being prepared by the series of career talks by experts in different field of occupational endeavors. They are coach on how to write an application letter, resume, and the development of self-confidence in facing interview by the prospective employer. Afterwards, an annual " Jobs Fair" and In Campus Recruitment is organized where educational and medical institutions, industrial, commercial and technical companies are invited to screen, evaluate, and accept the graduating students as a job applicants.

Research Services

Research capabilities of the guidance center are conducted in conjunction with relevant educational studies like students delinquency problems, teenage pregnancy, faculty-student relationship and others. Researches help bridge the gap that currently exists between theories and practice in counseling. Result of the findings in research will serve as guideposts for guidance and educational planning.

Career and Life Planning

Career Development Program is a package of activities designed to develop skills in self-exploration, values clarification, career planning and decision-making, and life goal setting.

Freshmen Enhancement Program

Freshmen Enhancement Program is package of activities for freshmen designed to facilitate adjustment into college life, enhance self-awareness and understanding, and develop the basic skills in coping effectively with rigors of academic life. The components of this program include psychological testing and evaluation; study skills development; time management; stress management; and group growth sessions.

Orientation and Information

Orientation and Information service consists of accumulation and dissemination of information about the different guidance activities, vocational opportunities, and educational information for better adjustment and personal growth.

Referral

Special Cases, which require service beyond the scope of guidance and counseling program, are referred to other agencies.

Linkages

The Guidance and Counseling Program also carry out collaborative activities with school and community-based organizations.

Extension Services

Guidance staff functions and responsibilities go beyond the students. They extend themselves ay helping others through training, seminars/workshops, or conduct research as they are often invitee in occasions needing their skills and knowledge. In most instances, they render the services for free.

Peer Facilitation

Peer Facilitators are trained to help the staff in the delivery of the guidance services, as well as extension services. On the other hand practicum students are provided the opportunity for on-the-job experience in the guidance field.

Guidance Services

Testing Services

In many educational institution as well as employment offices, tests are probably the most widely used specialized techniques in guidance. Test will be useful as a guidance tool if combined with appropriate planning for individual development. Tests provide “information in meaningful terms through quantitative description.”

These services cover the administration, scoring, interpreting and evaluating results of selected test such as:

·         Admission Tests

·         Intelligence Tests

·         Individual intelligence Tests

·         Group Intelligence Tests

·         Aptitude Tests

·         Interest Tests

·         Personality Tests

·         Special Tests

Student Inventory Record 

           This is a continuous process of accumulating, recording and utilizing information on each student for guidance and counseling purposes and for obtaining a complete picture of the individual.

Training/Seminar/Forum

      Programs designed to help students discover their innate abilities and talents as well as develop their emotional intelligence. These forums and seminars as well as symposiums helps or make the people talks about their emotional issues/concerns like in Love, Family and other matter that is related to their life. 

Guidance Services

Counseling Services 

Counseling services is considered as the heart and soul of the guidance program. This service aims to assist students in gaining deeper self-understanding and awareness of one's problems and the effective use of the decision process by formulating alternatives and projecting consequences of each that allow students to review critically what has taken place and makes provision for future meetings if they are needed.

Counseling helps an individual to cope with the struggles/problems that they are facing.  Students experience those challenges in a number of different ways: difficulties adjusting to college, confusion in deciding on a major or career path, or struggles in relationships, or making friends or getting along with a roommate. Many students feel anxious, depressed, confused, or overwhelmed at some point during their college experience and need help dealing with feelings and problems that seem beyond their control. It is important for a person to have someone who’s willing to listen when she/he feels so down. It will help her/him to move on faster, or even it will make her/him feel better. 

There are different approaches, skills and theories that counselors are implementing in guidance and counseling because everyone is different from each other as well as the situations are different as well. There counseling services are the following:

·      Individual counseling

·    Group counseling 

·    Family counseling

·    Counseling special cases

Here is an example of Individual Counseling

Guidance Services

Guidance Services' Aims

One of the objectives of the guidance counseling is to organize a fully functional counseling and testing center that would cater to the students and other members of the institution. It is also their aim to promote the services of the guidance center to the students, faculty members and employees of the institution. Guidance counseling also aims to establish a "catharsis center" where students, parents and faculty can pour their feelings in full confidentiality. Lastly, one of their objectives is to provide opportunities for the students to enrich the social lives through the development of skills in interpersonal relationship, with the end in view of helping facilitates the maximum utilization of their academic potentials.

With these objectives the guidance counseling main aims is to give guidance and support to the students and other members of the institution who are in-need of emotional guidance. It is not only the students who need some guidance but as well as the employees and faculty members. Sometimes the faculty members needed some guidance and counseling because of burnout and stress in their job.