Programme overview
Introduction:
School counselling and student guidance training, covering case work and guidance programme planning, is a 5-day course for school counselling, student advice and pastoral teams that ends with a School Guidance Programme Plan and Student Case File for a case school. Many schools appoint counsellors but leave their time to absence chasing, timetable cover and ad hoc crises, so guidance reaches few students, referrals stall and records cannot show results. Nominees already hold a student caseload and work through case files built on attendance, incident and grade data. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this school counselling course.
Course Objectives:
- Define the school counsellor role, its ethical boundaries and the academic, career and personal development domains it serves
- Design a school guidance programme with outcome goals, an annual calendar and tiered support using the ASCA National Model
- Conduct individual counselling interviews and small-group guidance sessions on study habits and subject choices
- Analyse attendance, behaviour and bullying cases and agree a student support plan with parents and teachers
- Refer students to psychologists, social workers or health services while keeping confidentiality and counselling records in order
- Evaluate guidance outcomes with a results report and complete a School Guidance Programme Plan and Student Case File
Target Audience:
- School counselling teams responsible for individual and group guidance with a student caseload
- Student advice teams that handle academic progress, subject choice and study difficulties
- Pastoral and year-group teams that follow up attendance, behaviour and wellbeing concerns
- Student affairs teams that coordinate referrals, parent meetings and case conferences
- Guidance coordination teams that plan the school's annual guidance calendar and report on it
Course Outline:
Day 1: School Counsellor Role, Ethics and Current Guidance Provision
- School Counsellor Role Definition Versus Non-Counselling Duties
- Ethical Standards for School Counsellors and Dual Relationships
- Academic, Career and Personal Development Domains of Guidance
- Caseload Ratio and Use-of-Time Audit for Counsellors
- Guidance Provision Gap Scan Using Student Data
Day 2: ASCA National Model and Guidance Programme Architecture
- ASCA National Model Define, Manage, Deliver and Assess Components
- Guidance Mission Statement, Beliefs and Student Outcome Goals
- Annual Guidance Calendar and Classroom Guidance Lesson Plan
- Tiered Student Support Matrix From Universal to Targeted
- Guidance Advisory Council Terms of Reference and Membership
Day 3: Individual Counselling, Group Guidance and Academic Guidance Skills
- Counselling Interview Stages From Rapport to Agreed Action
- Attending, Paraphrasing and Open Question Skills Practice
- Small-Group Guidance Session Plan for Study Habits
- Academic Guidance Conference Using Grades and Attendance Records
- Interest Inventory and Subject Choice Conversation With Students
Day 4: Attendance, Behaviour, Bullying, Referral and Confidentiality Cases
- School Refusal Assessment Scale Functions and Attendance Plans
- Behaviour Incident Analysis and Student Behaviour Contract
- Olweus Programme Elements for Whole-School Bullying Prevention
- Referral Pathway to Psychologists, Social Workers and Health Services
- Confidentiality Limits, Consent and Counselling Record Keeping
Day 5: Case Study: School Guidance Programme Plan and Student Case File
- Case School Data Pack Review of Attendance and Incidents
- Student Case File Build With Intake, Plan and Referral
- Parent and Teacher Consultation Record for the Case Student
- Guidance Results Report With Process and Outcome Indicators
- School Guidance Programme Plan Completion and Peer Defence
Skills You Will Gain:
- Counselling Interview Technique
- Guidance Programme Design
- Small-Group Facilitation
- Academic Progress Guidance
- Attendance Case Analysis
- Bullying Response Planning
- Referral Coordination
- Guidance Results Reporting
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a School Guidance Programme Plan and Student Case File for a case school to the principal and the student affairs lead
- Decide which students need classroom guidance, group sessions, individual counselling or an external referral, based on recorded evidence
- Avoid lost referrals, unrecorded disclosures and absence cases that escalate because no one owned the follow-up
- Share interview guides, case file templates, referral forms and calendar formats with pastoral and teaching colleagues
Conclusion:
Back at school, the participant gives the principal and the student affairs lead a School Guidance Programme Plan that sets outcome goals, the annual guidance calendar, tiered support and the referral routes, together with a Student Case File that models how cases are recorded. Leaders use the plan to protect counsellor time and agree who handles attendance and bullying follow-up. After the first term under the plan, the team should review caseload data, referral turnaround, attendance trends and feedback from parents and teachers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a school counselling and student guidance course?
Participants should already counsel, advise or follow up students in a school and know how attendance and grade records are kept. Bringing an anonymised case summary or the current guidance calendar helps them apply the case work to their own school.
How does school counselling and student guidance training differ from a social and emotional learning or special education course?
It centres on the counsellor's own work: caseload, interviews, group guidance, attendance and bullying cases, referral, records and the guidance programme plan. Social and emotional learning courses train teachers to teach skills in class, and special education courses cover individual education plans for learners with additional needs.
Why does school counselling and student guidance work need a written referral pathway?
A written referral pathway tells counsellors when a concern moves beyond school guidance, who receives it and how quickly. It protects students from delays, keeps counsellors within their competence and gives parents a clear account of the next step and who is responsible.
What do participants take back from the school counselling and student guidance course?
Participants take back a School Guidance Programme Plan and Student Case File for a case school, plus interview guides, an attendance plan template, a bullying response checklist, referral forms and a results report format they can adapt to their own students.