Running head: CAPSTONE PROJECT 1

Capstone Systems Change Project

Brandman University

CSPU 618

Veronica Pulido
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Abstract

Based off of my findings and experience in my internship at Waterford High School, I

present some recommendations that should be made to the district and board members in order to

help create guidance programs and help those in place.

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School Background

Currently, I am doing my internship at Waterford High School and working alongside the

school’s only counselor. The district has a total of five schools, not including their preschool and

their adult center. There are two elementary schools, one middle school, a high school, and a

continuation school. Within these five schools, there are only two counselors, one at my high

school and the other at the middle school. None of the elementary schools have a counseling

program, but there is one psychologist. The continuation also does not have a counselor at their

site.

Needs Assessment

Before conducting the needs assessment, there were certain needs that were clear simply

from working at the school. Information from the American School Counselor Association

clearly states that the student to counselor ratio should be 1 to every 250 students. However, the

high school has a total of five hundred and twenty-nine students, more than doubling the

caseloads that the current counselor is dealing with. The high school counselor also has a great

amount on emphasis to academics, as well as college and career preparation. Unfortunately, this

allows for very minimal time for socioemotional counseling as well as mental health awareness.

The family and student advocate at the school seems to be the one doing most of that type of

work, although it is ore of the responsibility of the counselor.

Since there are no counselors at the elementary schools, there is no guidance program

being implemented. Yes, there is a psychologist, but the jobs are not the same, rather the

clinician should only be dealing with a specific students only to devote her/his time to them only

once referred by the counselor.

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In conducting the needs assessment, it was clear that the guidance program could use

some recommendations. The assessment was administered to some staff and parents, specifically

to those parents who also had children in the other school sites. This way, I would be able to get

information for several schools at once.

Recommendations

With the information gathered, the research conducted, and with my knowledge from this

graduate program, my recommendations are as follow: 1) Add another counselor to the high

school 2) implement a mental health program 3) provide more socioemotional counseling to high

school students 4) Add a school counselor to the elementary sites in order to implement a

guidance program.

Since the ratio of counselor to students is so high at the high school, adding another

counselor will better facilitate services to students because there is less caseload for each

counselor. This will allow sufficient time to be spent on including time on the socioemotional

counseling that doesn't happen as often. Also, the new counselor could also help with the

continuation school. Since there is such a small number (forty-one) of students, they can easily

be added on to the caseload of a high school counselor.

Having two counselors will also give them both sufficient time to create and implement a

program that can help them focus on mental health. The necessity of bringing awareness is

crucial; it can help prevent issues in the long run to students once they leave school and into their

adult life.

Sometimes, there are issues in a child that do not get the necessary attention needed.

Sometimes, if a child gets help at a young age, it can prevent them from having major issues as
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they grow older. Having a school counselor can help, which is why I recommend to add another

counselor, but at an elementary level. This counselor can implement the necessary programs in

order to help with the wellness of the students at both schools.

Budget

In regards to the cost, the starting pay for an elementary school counselor can range

anywhere from forty-five thousand dollars a year to fifty-five thousand, depending on education

and experience. On the other hand, the annual salary of a high school counselor is higher at a

range of fifty-five thousand dollars a year to sixty-three thousand a year.

There is always a way in education where a school can acquire funds if they do not

already have them. Waterford Unified School District already has the resources to give all of

their high school students free lunch, as well as paying for all of their AP testing. I am sure that

they are capable of bringing in two more counselors for the benefit of their students.

Evaluations

Evaluations are annually made by administrators. However, in order to assure that the

new counselors are doing their job right and that they are adhering to an adequate guidance

program, there should be an additional assessment in which the parents, staff and students are

administered a questionnaire. Presenting these people with question such regarding the

counselors’ performance, their collaboration, and any suggestions for the guidance program is all

necessary data that will help build better counseling services to the students.

Lesson Plans

At the high school level, there is a huge need to make changes o their guidance program

by including more mental health education, which should then also help create a bigger emphasis
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on providing socioemotional counseling to students. On the other hand, the elementary school

sites need a guidance program to begin with. I am sure that there are simple activities done that a

school counselor would do, but there still needs to be someone in charge whose time is focused

only on counseling.

High School

Given that there needs to be some emphasis on mental health awareness at the high

school level, I have provided a lesson plan that could be used. Bringing up the subject of mental

health may scare some of the students away, after all, they are teenagers who would want to be

identified as mentally ill. So, to start off, there needs to be a talk and activity that will break the

stigma from mental health in order to get students to talk about it. School counselors need to put

an effort in breaking the stigma and not make mental health a taboo where students can’t openly

talk about feeling anxious, depressed, or suffering from a stress disorder. Counselors need to

provide the help they need, to be ears that will hear them out, and the person who will provide

them with the necessary resources so they can better themselves.

The following lesson plan is from a website called “Walk in Our Shoes.” Since the

passing of Proposition 63 of 2004 in California, there has been an emphasis to provide mental

health education to schools. In partnership with the California government and the California’s

Mental Health Movement, the “Walk in Our Shoes” website provides resources to school

counselor that can be used in their guidance program. The following are only one example of a

lesson that can be utilized at the high school setting:

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This example is only a way to begin to start talking to students about the topic of mental

health. First, there needs to be a talk on stigma and breaking it as well as properly informing

students about what mental health is. Typically, with young kids at this age, they tend to be

fearful about having “mental issues” thinking it means something bad. However, many teenagers

experience anxiety and depression at that age and they should be able to seek the help they need

without being embarrassed.

Elementary School

Since there is not an actual guidance program being implemented at the elementary level,

there are many things that can be brought in to the schools. There are many different activities

that can be done in order to make children more aware. For example, there can be a bully free

week that would consist of showing animated videos to classrooms as well as an assembly. The

counselor could also help teachers with simple activities that can help incorporate the Zero

Tolerance Policy that many schools have in regards to bullies. Another good idea that would

promote good character traits to the older kids (5th and 6th graders) is to be peer mentors with

the younger students like those in kinder and first grade.

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A topic that I feel needs to be focused on a lot more by some counselors that work with

the younger students is on self-esteem. Many times if a child does not have self-esteem from a

young age, then they can have issues about themselves and their image when they grow older.

Every child needs to understand that they are different, but that they are all specials, regardless.

The following are a few online examples from the Missouri Department of Education

demonstrating the type of activities that can be done in a classroom in order to boost up a

students’ self esteem:

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Since there is a big emphasis on college and careers at the high school level, it can also

be brought in even with the little ones. The easiest topic that can attract children at a younger age

is career exploration. Many times, teachers already have fun activites that make a student

communicate what they would like to be when they grow up. It would be fun to have a career

day where all the kids from all the grades can go and explore the different types of career paths

that they can take by having people there with those job occupations. For example, there can be a

booth of a veterinarian with small animals or firemen with all of their gear and a fire truck

outside.

These are only a few examples of what can be incorporated into the guidance program at

the elementary school site. There are still many things not mentioned, such as coping with a

crisis, red ribbon week, social skills training, etc. Clearly, there are many things that need to

brought in to a location that does not have a school counselor, but it all needs to start with the

district adding a school counselor.

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References

Classroom Lesson Plans​ [PDF]. (n.d.). Walk In Our Shoes.

Instructional Activity​ [PDF]. (n.d.). Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary

Education.

Student-to-School-Counselor Ratio 2014-2015​ [PDF]. (n.d.). American School Counselor

Association.

“Mental Health.” ​Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63)​, 29 Apr. 2014,

www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/MH/Pages/MHSA.aspx.