Counseling Curriculum

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has developed the following student domains and standards to help school counselors form counseling curriculums to support schools in their mission to develop responsible citizens and lifelong learners. The below curriculum is presented to students throughout the school year through structured classroom presentations, group activities, and individual student planning. The purpose of this curriculum is proactive and preventative, and is organized to promote student success in the following areas: academic development, career development, and personal/social development. This curriculum supports the Common Core Learning Standards.

School counselors support students in the following three domains:
Academic Development: Standards guiding school counseling programs to implement strategies and activities to support and maximize each student's ability to learn.
Career Development: Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students 1) understand the connection between school and the world of work and 2) plan for and make a successful transition from school to post-secondary education and/or the world of work and from job to job across the life span.
Social/Emotional Development: Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students manage emotions and learn and apply interpersonal skills.






Mindsets
1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/
emotional and physical well-being
2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed
3. Sense of belonging in the school environment
4. Understanding that post-secondary education and life-long learning are necessary
for long-term career success
5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes
6. Positive attitude toward work and learning

Behavior: Learning Strategies
1. Demonstrate critical-thinking skills to make informed decisions
2. Demonstrate creativity
3. Use time-management, organizational and study skills
4. Apply self-motivation and self-direction to learning
5. Apply media and technology skills
6. Set high standards of quality
7. Identify long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals
8. Actively engage in challenging coursework
9. Gather evidence and consider multiple perspectives to make informed decisions
10. Participate in enrichment and extracurricular activities

Behavior: Self-Management Skills
1. Demonstrate ability to assume responsibility
2. Demonstrate self-discipline and self-control
3. Demonstrate ability to work independently
4. Demonstrate ability to delay immediate gratification for long-term rewards
5. Demonstrate perseverance to achieve long- and short-term goals
6. Demonstrate ability to overcome barriers to learning
7. Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem
8. Demonstrate the ability to balance school, home and community activities
9. Demonstrate personal safety skills
10. Demonstrate ability to manage transitions and ability to adapt to changing
situations and responsibilities

Behavior: Social Skills
1. Use effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills
2. Create positive and supportive relationships with other students
3. Create relationships with adults that support success
4. Demonstrate empathy
5. Demonstrate ethical decision-making and social responsibility
6. Use effective collaboration and cooperation skills
7. Use leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse teams
8. Demonstrate advocacy skills and ability to assert self, when necessary
9. Demonstrate social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and
environment