Turn to page 18 of your book.

• Margaret is a teenager perceived by her teachers and

classmates as a problem student. She often breaks the
rules and performs poorly in her academics. Her class
adviser suggested that she visit the school counselor.
Meg was adamant, defensive, and thought, she was
reluctant to do so at first. After all, how could a
complete stranger help resolve her issues, anyway?
However, due to her teachers' and friends' persistence,
she grudgingly visited the school counselor.
 Turn to page 18 of your book.
• She was surprised to find that the counselor was the exact
opposite of what she expected. She thought that the counselor
would tell her that everything is her fault. Instead, the counselor
mostly listened to her, asked her questions but most
importantly, Meg was allowed to be herself during the sessions.
She was able to tell the counselor about her concerns at home
and at school and together they explored possibilities on how
to deal with them. She was also taught how to relax when she
get stressed. Meg felt better after every session and was able
to realize that seeing the counselor helped her view things in a
different light.
 PROCESS QUESTIONS:
1. Is your perception of a counselor similar to that
of Meg? Explain.
2. What do you know about the roles, functions,
and competencies of a counselor?
3. Have you met other counselors working in
other settings besides the school?​
PROFESSIONALS
& PRACTITIONERS
IN COUNSELING
 MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:
1. The learners show understanding of the roles and
functions of counselors.
(HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ic-6)
2. The learners identify specific work areas in which
counselors work. (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ic-7)
3. The learners value rights, responsibilities, and
accountabilities of counselors.
(HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ic-9)
 SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
K – Identify the roles and functions of
counselors.
S – Write a reflection paper about the specific
field of counseling the learner will specialize.
A – Value the rights, responsibilities, and
accountabilities of counselors.
COUNSELORS: WHO ARE THEY?
• Counselors are professionally trained individuals
who help clients experiencing difficulties by
engaging them in the counseling process.
• In the Philippines, counselors or guidance
counselors, as they are popularly known, are
professionals who use an “integrated approach to
the development of a well-functioning individual
primarily by helping him/her maximize his/her
potentials to the fullest and plan his/her future in
accordance with his/her abilities, interests, and
needs” (Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004).
 ROLES OF
COUNSELORS
According to Shertzer And Stone (1974)
 ROLES OF COUNSELORS
✔ Quasi-administrator
- As quasi-administrators or “administrative handy
persons,” counselors assume the role of administrators
when the school heads are not around. In the United States
as well as here in the Philippines, this practice is slowly
being eradicated for it has been found that the more
administrative duties counselors do, the less time they
spend with the clients.
 ROLES OF COUNSELORS
✔ Generalist
- As generalists, counselors coordinate and administer
services and resources. They also maintain relationships
among the stakeholders of an institution.
✔ Specialist
- As specialists, counselors give their counseling duties
priority over other activities.
 ROLES OF COUNSELORS
✔Agent for change
- As agents for change, counselors initiate
change within the clients by helping them arrive at
possibilities and options and by catalyzing change
(e.g. providing feedback regarding programs,
clarifying the role of the institution) within the
setting where they practice their profession.
 ROLES OF COUNSELORS
✔Specialist in psychological education
- As specialists in psychological education,
counselors create and implement activities and
programs for facilitating self-development. These
activities focus on promoting personal, emotional,
moral, and social growth.
 ROLES OF COUNSELORS
✔ Applied behavioral scientist
- As applied behavioral scientists, counselors provide
experiences and conditions which are based on theories
and researches on behavioral sciences that aim to foster
learning among clients. Counselors simulate activities
which can help clients learn more about themselves,
others, and their environment.
 ROLES OF COUNSELORS
✔Contingency manager
- As contingency managers, counselors arrange
consequences for behavior if clients fail or succeed
in carrying out an action plan which was agreed
upon by both counselor and client. This is usually in
the form of rewards, tokens, or absence thereof.
 FUNCTIONS OF
COUNSELORS
According to Gibson and Mitchell (2008)
 COUNSELING
• Counseling is considered to be the core
function of counselors.
• Counseling focuses on the client's
growth, adjustment, problem solving,
and decision-making needs.
• It can be done individually or in a group.
 ASSESSMENT
• Assessment is the process of systematically
gathering information about the clients.
• Counselors administer standardized tests (e.g.
personality tests, IQ tests, career inventory
tests, and the like) and interpret the results to
the clients.
• They likewise gather non-test data through
observation, case studies, and anecdotal
records, among others.
 CAREER ASSISTANCE
• Career Assistance is one unique function of
counselors focused on helping clients
explore their career options.
• Counselors help clients determine which
career best suits them by implementing a
career development program that is holistic
and integrated, and by providing career
education and counseling.
PLACEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP
• Counselors work with students in different
types of placement: personal-social (clubs or
organizations that clients may be interested
in joining), academic (sections where
students can be placed, electives that may
be taken, or courses to be taken in college)
and vocational-occupational (industries or
offices where clients can work).
PLACEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP
• Follow-up, on the other hand, is
done by counselors to determine the
effectiveness of the delivery of
services (e.g. counseling, test
interpretation, group guidance,
group counseling, placement, and
the like).
 REFERRAL
• Referral is usually done when counselors
need to find and transfer their clients to other
experts or counselors with special expertise
who may be able to help the clients more.
• It is then imperative for counselors to build a
network of qualified helping professionals or
have an updated directory of professionals
and agencies for referral purposes.
 CONSULTATION
• Consultation is the process wherein
counselors confer with a third party to
help clients in addressing their needs.
• Counselors talk with the clients'
significant others to assist clients who
are having difficulties.
 RESEARCH
• Research is one important role
that counselors need to cultivate
because engaging in this process
can yield data which could then
help in the advancement of the
counseling profession.
 EVALUATION AND
•
ACCOUNTABILITY
Evaluation and accountability are
also salient functions that counselors
should consistently and consciously
think about while implementing the
guidance and counseling
programs.
 EVALUATION AND
• ACCOUNTABILITY
Evaluation is assessing the effectiveness
of the activities and interventions and the
efficiency of the personnel involved.
• Meanwhile, accountability is ensuring that
programs and personnel are responsive,
appropriate, and relevant.
 PREVENTION
• Beyond the “curative” dimension of
counseling, counseling should be
preventive as well.
• It prevents problems by empowering
students with knowledge and
awareness so that healthy attitudes and
habits are promoted while early signs of
problems are detected.