Full Test Bank Chapter 2 Working Within School Family And

CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITHIN SCHOOL, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY SYSTEMS

Multiple Choice

1. What is defined as an “orderly combination of parts that interact to produce a desired outcome or product”?

1. schemes
2. structures
3. classifications
4. systems

2. According to consultation literature when the new school-based professional enters the school system this is called:

1. entry into the organization
2. entry into the assembly
3. entry into the group
4. entry into the union

3. As a school psychologist, approximately what percentage of your time is spent in assessment activities?

1. 88%
2. 3%
3. 47%
4. 15%

4. School social workers report spending approximately what percentage of their time in individual or group counseling?

1. 20%
2. 40%
3. 60%
4. 80%

5. Which Act implemented greater accountability for academic outcomes?

1. All Children Left Behind Act
2. No Child Left Behind Act
3. Children of the Future Act
4. Respect All Children Act

6. In a typical counseling cycle, early sessions serve to help the counselor develop rapport and begin to understand the student’s concerns. This stage is called the:

1. Exploration Stage
2. Working Stage
3. Termination Stage
4. Insight Stage

7. During the middle stage of counseling student clients engage in a deeper level of exploration and understanding around the presenting concern. This stage is called the:

1. Exploration Stage
2. Working Stage
3. Termination Stage
4. Insight Stage

8. During this stage the student client develops a plan to address the concern.

1. Exploration Stage
2. Working Stage
3. Termination Stage
4. Insight Stage

9. As the individual gains confidence in his or her ability to handle the particular situation or stressor, you may reduce the frequency and length of your sessions as you move toward what stage?

1. Exploration Stage
2. Working Stage
3. Termination Stage
4. Insight Stage

10. What is an IEP?

1. ideal education plans
2. individual education policy
3. ideal education program
4. individualized education plans

11. A termination session might focus on:

1. the student client’s progress to date
2. the types of goals that have and have not yet been reached
3. the student client’s progress to date and the types of goals that have and have not yet been reached
4. only the goals that have not yet been reached

12. As a school counselor, a significant proportion of your day will be allocated to:

1. group therapy
2. individual counseling
3. guidance lessons
4. prescribing medication

13. Services provided under IEPs tends to be:

1. structured
2. unfocused
3. unstructured
4. disorganized

14. As a school counselor you should do all but what:

1. make yourself visible
2. engage in helpful acts
3. stay in your office
4. volunteer for committees

15. Because of the lack of predictability in schools, Murphy (2008) recommended treating every counseling session as if it were the

1. second session
2. first session
3. middle session
4. last session

16. When terminating with a child client when should you alert them that the counseling relationship will end?

1. three to four weeks before
2. one week before
3. same day
4. six to seven weeks before

17. Which is an issue that may not appropriately be treated in a school setting?

1. social skills
2. reports of sexual abuse
3. bullying
4. peer fighting

18. When taking a position at a new school it is important to meet:

1. the faculty assistant and the custodian
2. the secretary
3. the custodian and the secretary
4. the custodian, the secretary, and the faculty assistant

19. During lunch you should make an effort to:

1. catch up on paperwork
2. eat lunch in the teacher’s lounge
3. return emails
4. take a nap

20. According to the ASCA National Model (2005) what percentage of your time at the high school level should be spent in guidance activities?

1. 55%
2. 45%
3. 15%
4. 25%

21. During high stakes testing, faculty are often:

1. tense
2. calm
3. serene
4. jovial

22. After spring break students tend to:

1. work harder
2. focus on their schoolwork
3. act out more
4. not be truant

23. In these districts you will likely have established relationships with outside agencies to which you can refer students with abuse and other significant concerns:

1. urban and surburban
2. urban and rural
3. rural and surburban
4. surburban only

24. What district(s) may complicate referrals as you may be the only mental health professional within a 100 mile radius?

1. urban and surburban
2. urban
3. rural
4. surburban and rural

25. According to the ASCA National Model (2005) what percentage of your time at the elementary school level should be spent in guidance activities?

1. 15%
2. 45%
3. 25%
4. 55%

True/False

1. One of the desired outcomes within a school context is positive academic, social, and emotional functioning among students.

2. For a new school-based professional, the learning curve is steep.

3. If you are not typically an outgoing person, it is not important to go out of your way to greet people in the mornings, and check in with the office staff if you’re going to leave early or be unavailable.

4. Creating a year-long plan can be helpful in allocating your time to ensuring that you have aligned your practice with the ASCA National Model or with the broad range of activities outlined in the NASP Comprehensive Model.

5. For school psychologists, the ASCA guidelines are more specific and you are encouraged to spend your time fulfilling a variety functions consistent with your role.

6. There is a formal criteria for when to refer to an outside agency.

7. Counseling with children, especially in a school setting, is likely to follow the same progression as counseling with adults.

8. It is best to avoid beginning a counseling relationship with a student toward the end of a school year, right before a school break, or when a student is expected to transfer to a new setting.

9. From a systems perspective, changes do not always influence the system.

10. Schools are part of larger systems and also house any number of smaller systems.

Short Answer Essay

1. As you enter the school system, discuss what you will do to get acclimated.

• Learn the names of the teachers and what grade or subject they teach, the daily schedule, developmentally appropriate lessons and activities, data management programs, established programs (e.g., character education program, school-wide discipline programs), and district policies and procedures.
• Learn the unwritten practices and policies, and merge them with best practice as indicated by your professional organization.
• It is helpful if your supervisor can introduce you to members of the school, but if not, venture out on your own. You want to present as friendly and approachable, yet professional.
• Take the time to meet everyone including the support staff (e.g., custodian, secretary, faculty assistant.) These individuals help make the school run effectively and can be lifesavers during an emergency.
• It is important to have an understanding of roles and expectations when you enter a new system.
• Building relationships are critical to success in a school setting. One of the worst things you can do as a new professional is isolate in your office. Although a few staff might seek you out, the majority won’t know who you are or what services you provide. Making yourself visible, engaging in helpful acts, and volunteering for committees are all valuable ways to learn about the school and allow others to learn about you. The more school personnel understand who you are and what you can provide, the more quickly you will be able to integrate into the school community.
• Carefully consider how you will spend your days and the strategies you will use to meet the needs of students. In order to maximize the services that you can offer, develop a mental health curriculum that includes a flexible blend of well-planned services in the form of classroom, group, and individual services provided throughout the school year.

2. Describe what you will do if a student does not want to terminate with you.

• Some students may resist ending the counseling relationship even though they have met their goals. This resistance may come from anxious feelings related to fear of failing or disappointing others. It will be important to address these feelings and others related to termination during counseling.
• When a student demonstrates this type of resistance, together you may develop a plan for decreasing the frequency of meetings. It may be that the student simply needs a little more time to build confidence in his or her newly acquired skills.
• Murphy (2008) also suggested letting the student know that you need to provide services to a number of students within the school, and asking if the student would be interested in participating as a peer mentor in the future. Through these actions, the school-based helper can reinforce the student’s progress, help that individual build empathy for the other students who may need services, and empower the student to help others.
• You can also reassure the student that you have an “open door” policy should there be a need to check in for support. Again, you’ll want to be vigilant that the student does not become dependent on this type of informal drop in (e.g., coming to your office two to three times per week).
• Additionally, we encourage school-based professionals to consider other resources available within the school setting (e.g., peer counselors, mentors, after school programs) that can serve as either a supplement or a transitional step for students who are terminating from more intensive counseling services.

3. Discuss how and when you will make referrals to community resources. Include examples of a few resources that you may utilize in your own community.

• As noted, there are times when students’ needs for services are greater than what can be provided appropriately in a school setting. Examples of issues not appropriately treated in a school setting might be when a child reports a history of sexual or physical abuse, severe psychopathology (e.g., hearing voices, continual suicidal ideation), or a presenting issue that is beyond the expertise of the school-based professional helper.
• You can facilitate this referral process by being familiar with mental health service providers in your community. As a school-based professional, you can create a list of individuals in the community who specialize in working with children and adolescents, who have expertise in specific types of issues, and who accept different types of insurance or payment.
• Depending on the needs of the family, you might provide further support with this transition by reviewing with the family what to expect at their first meeting (e.g., informed consent paperwork, intake), helping the family make the phone call for the appointment, or agreeing to meet them at the new location for their appointment.
• In an urban or suburban setting, you will likely have established relationships with outside agencies to which you can refer students with abuse and other significant concerns.
• In a rural district, this type of referral service becomes much more complicated as you may be the only mental health professional within a 100 mile radius.

4. Discuss certain considerations that you will put in place when terminating the counseling relationship with a client who is a child.

• Regardless of the reason for terminating counseling with a child or adolescent, this transition can be difficult. This relationship may reflect the one time in a child’s life when he or she receives the focused attention of a caring adult (Thompson & Henderson, 2007).
• Children, especially younger ones, should be given ample warning that the relationship is coming to an end. That means a child client should be alerted three to four weeks prior to the end of counseling. In these final sessions, the student client and counselor can discuss plans for the final sessions, reflect on the child’s progress, and perhaps even talk about the need for a follow up session.
• It is helpful to place an emphasis on the degree to which a child has grown or the amount of progress made rather than focusing on the end of the relationship.
• At the final session, the counselor may choose to give a student a small token reflecting their work together. These tangible items not only support the work of the student client and professional helper, but also serve as a reminder of a special relationship in the child’s life.