10.58.610    SCHOOL COUNSELING K-12

(1) The program requires that successful candidates:

(a) demonstrate knowledge of school counseling program models, the history, development, trends, philosophy, leadership, advocacy, qualities and styles of effective leadership in schools, and professional activities related to the practice of professional school counseling K-12;

(b) demonstrate understanding of models of school-based collaboration and consultation, as well as competence in developing relationships with community resources such as public, private, medical, employment, and educational agencies for referral and collaborative service delivery to promote student success;

(c) demonstrate competence in the use of theories of individual and family development and transitions across the life span, theories of learning and personality development, and human behavior including developmental crises, exceptionality, addictive behavior, psychopathology, and environmental factors that affect both normal and abnormal behavior;

(d) demonstrate knowledge of educational philosophies, curriculum development, school organization, and management to facilitate student success in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development, as well as the school counselorꞌs role in student support and school leadership teams;

(e)  demonstrate knowledge of the role in school counseling of ethnic and cultural heritage, including American Indians and tribes in Montana, nationality, socioeconomic status, family structure, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, occupation, physical and mental status;

(f) demonstrate competence in the coordination of school counseling program components and understand how they are integrated within the school community in collaboration with the efforts of other educators and agencies, as well as the roles of leaders, advocates, and systems change agents in schools;

(g)  demonstrate competence in elementary, middle, and high school counseling in:

(i) planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive and developmental school counseling program that includes mission statements and objectives;

(ii) appraising and interpreting interviews, observations, and formal assessments including, but not limited to, aptitude, interest, achievement, and personality tests and other assessments relevant to K-12 education;

(iii) promoting student success using strategies and interventions that address academic development, career counseling, school and life transitions, promotion and graduation rates, college and career readiness, gaps in student achievement, as well as skills to critically examine the connections between social, familial, emotional, and behavioral issues and academic achievement;

(iv) utilizing a variety of developmentally appropriate intervention strategies in individual, family, and group contexts such as personal/social counseling, parent conferences, teaching curriculum lessons using lesson planning and classroom management strategies, training and overseeing peer intervention programs, and other strategies that foster collaboration and teamwork in schools;

(v) consulting with family members, school personnel, community agencies, and other professionals regarding assessment and intervention to enhance the physical, academic, psychological, cognitive, and social development of all students;

(vi) utilizing prevention and intervention programs that address issues such as drugs and alcohol, wellness, conflict/anger/violence management, eating disorders, child abuse and neglect, teenage pregnancy, family relations, childhood depression and suicide, school drop-outs, grief/separation/loss issues, and programs related to emergency management plans, crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events;

(vii) managing school counseling programs by using accountability data to inform decision making to advocate for students and programs, analyzing, and presenting educational research, performance, and evaluation data including, but not limited to, standardized test scores, grades, retention, and placement that advocate for students and programs;

(viii) demonstrating new knowledge and skills, and refining existing skills through professional renewal including, but not limited to, self-reflection, continuing education, and professional development;

(ix) demonstrating knowledge of special education laws, rules, and regulations and competence in the knowledge of developmental and educational issues of exceptional students and their families;

(x) demonstrating knowledge of the characteristics, risk factors, and warning signs of students at risk for mental health and behavioral disorders including the signs and symptoms of substance abuse in children and adolescents as well as the signs and symptoms of living in a home where substance use occurs;

(xi) demonstrating knowledge of common medications that affect learning, behavior, and mood in children and adolescents; and

(xii) demonstrating knowledge of professional organizations, preparation standards, and credentials that are relevant to the practice of school counseling;

(h) demonstrate knowledge of, and apply the laws (state and federal), policies, and legislation that affect student placement, follow-up and program planning, as well as the ethical issues related to the school counseling field; and

(i) demonstrate knowledge of the American School Counselor Association national standards related to mindsets and behaviors for student success (academic, career, and personal/social developmental domains) and demonstrate competence integrating these national standards throughout the school counseling program.

(2) The candidate will successfully complete a supervised counseling practicum and internship experience, which includes observation and practice of counseling and other professional skills related to professional school counseling. The counseling practicum and internship experience shall include the following requirements:

(a) a practicum with a minimum of 100 hours, which includes 40 hours of supervised direct service to K-12 students providing individual counseling and group work;

(b) a practicum supervised by a program faculty member or a supervisor under the supervision of a program faculty member, a minimum of one hour per week in an individual supervision session and one and one-half hours per week in a group supervision session;

(c) an internship that begins after the successful completion of a counseling practicum and a minimum of 600 hours in a school setting;

(d) an internship of 240 hours of supervised direct service to K-12 students performing a variety of school counseling activities related to a school counseling program that may include designing and implementing developmentally appropriate classroom lessons, individual student planning (assisting students in the development of educational, career, and personal plans), responsive services (groups, individual counseling, and crisis response), indirect student services (referrals, consultation, and collaboration), and program planning and school support;

(e) an internship that is supervised at a minimum of one hour per week in an individual supervision session (provided by a site supervisor) and one and one-half hours per week in a group supervision session (provided by a program faculty member);

(f) regular and adjunct program faculty who provide individual or group practicum and/or internship supervision have a doctoral degree and/or appropriate clinical preparation from an accredited school counselor education program, relevant professional experience and demonstrated competence in counseling, and relevant training and supervision experience; and

(g) site supervisors who have a minimum of a masterꞌs degree in counseling or a related profession with equivalent qualifications, including appropriate certification or licensure, a minimum of two years of experience as a school counselor, and knowledge of the program's expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures for trainees.

 

History: 20-2-114, MCA; IMP, 20-2-121, MCA; NEW, 1979 MAR p. 492, Eff. 5/25/79; AMD, 1984 MAR p. 831, Eff. 5/18/84; AMD, 1989 MAR p. 397, Eff. 3/31/89; AMD, 1994 MAR p. 2722, Eff. 10/14/94; AMD, 2000 MAR p. 2406, Eff. 9/8/00; AMD, 2007 MAR p. 190, Eff. 2/9/07; AMD & TRANS, from 10.58.512, 2014 MAR p. 2936, Eff. 7/1/15; AMD, 2023 MAR p. 86, Eff. 7/1/23.