Counseling People with Disabilities - Essay Example

? Counseling People with Disabilities Counseling People with Disabilities In the contemporary world, there aremany people with varying types of disabilities. There are those with physical disabilities who are the most popular and there are also those with mental disability that are least paid attention to. It is important to go through the various issues with regard to these people with mental disability with the idea of understanding how school counselors deal with them. Many parents fail to recognize that academic failure by their children does not always result from laziness but that some of these kids may have a disability which is best counseled by a school counselor. Many people rudely refer to this disability as retardness. People also have the tendency to discriminate those that they feel to be different from them (Anon, 2013). It is important to pay attention to mental disability as one of the many types of disabilities present in the school system alongside other disabilities in identifying how to school counselors help these students. Poor performance is one of the vast amounts of negative attributes that students may develop while in the school system and it is important to recognize that in some situations, it is deemed as a disability that some kids are born with. It is imperative to understand that the treatment for these behaviors varies over a wide range. However, prescription medication should come as the last way to solve this menace. The most important aspect is for the school counselor to understand reasons the student behaves in a particular nature and what are the present optimal means for the resolution of the problem. One of the best ways to resolve this problem is through the application of cognitive counseling where the school counselor has the student undergoing various general tests to identify the cause of the disability and figure out how to assist the student to deal with it effectively (Jackson, 2012). In the school environment, it is important to understand that the counselor uses various means to understand the thinking of a student and it is also important to understand that most students are shy and thus do not associate well with teachers in order to improve their learning. It is vital to go through an example whereby in this case there is the school counselor, Richard having an interaction with a troubled student who has mental disability. The student does not perform well in class and is also poor in socializing. In the year 2002, the ASCA released a model framework for school programs such as the school disability act to ensure that school counselors do their best in counseling. Under FERPA, the US Department of Education also released regulations that are important for protecting the students’ confidentiality (FERPA, 2011). The manner in which the framework would work is by ensuring the presence of award ceremonies that would offer gifts and acknowledgements to institutions that had the highest number of positive resolved cases with regard to assisting students with disabilities. This is one way through which ASCA has assisted in dealing with disabilities through school counselors (Stone, 2009) Credibility is alleged by the student through the counselor's ability to be well informed about what the client or patient is facing, and by their enthusiasm to tell their knowledge and information to the patient or client. School counselors employ various mechanisms to deal with disability in the school system. One is reliability. Regardless of the type of disability that a student has, the school counselor has the responsibility of showing reliability through compassion to the disabled students and acting in a dependable manner towards them. This consideration should be made for all children, including those with disabilities and whose parents have concerns that are unique to their disabilities (Taub, 2006). There is the counselor's motivation and objectives. The student counselor should ensure that he sets out his objectives and has a well laid out plan on dealing with the disabled students. Many are the times in these institutions that these students are bullied and run to the counselor, it is his responsibility to have a plan of action that ought to have the subsequent effect of minimizing bulling. The counselor as a source of information is very important in evaluation as the explanation that the counselors uses with the patient or client is perhaps the most vital piece of information which the patient or client will ever get from them. It is the elucidation of why the counselors think they have the trouble, what is keeping it and what they could, together, be capable of doing about it. After getting information from disabled students and the issues they are dealing with, the counselor has the responsibility of ensuring that in case of excess emotional trouble that a student may have when dealing with normal kids in school. The counselor has the responsibility of suggesting more professional handling of the situation (Starfield, 2008). The counselor’s communication needs to be steady, not only over time, although also in the context of the student’s life, they want to be able to comprehend it and relay to it as significant to them. The other vital knowledge that the counselor imparts to student is what the probable ways of change are; describing what the advantages and disadvantages of every of these are, and once more these communications need to be steady both across time as well as in relation to the innovative formulation offered (Damian, 2002). The counselor links intentions and motivations of the student with the notion of transparency. This entails explaining why one is doing things, explaining to the student the best means to deal with their disability may it physical or mental (Stone, 2009). The counselor should be able to argue with the student every factor in the relationship that is jamming progress, like not hauling out errands that they have decided upon, or fading to take medicine agreed upon in a manner that is not judgmental. The counselor also attempts to support the individual in attaining their desired products rather than faulting them for apparent failures or need of co-operation. The reason for this is the fact that some school counselors are not effective in their work and instead of helping the student understand and resolve his problem, they tend to make it worse which is very negative. Arguing some facts about the student’s relationships is allowed but only to some extent (Schultz, 2011). There is also the responsibility of the counselor to instill confidence in the disabled student. It is partly about the non-verbal interactions, like shaking hands, keenness to make bodily contact indicates acceptance, retaining eye contact whilst the student is talking. In addition, the counselor should sit with the body facing towards the client and not having the seat straightly facing them. Where suitable, illuminating features of self to the person that shows kindness and comparison to them. He can use fitting humor that the student can relay to and feel warm (Blakely, 2009). The counselor can also use various measures to send a point to the customer that the therapist is a humane and warm person who wishes to maintain and assist them. Taking into consideration all these issues, it is rather easy for a counselor to understand how the patient or rather student works and thinks in an effort to ensure that she has improved functioning and can easily get over her disability and work well in the class environment to associate well with other students and teachers. The student counselor is one of the most important people in the school system. Many students in the contemporary world are faced by different challenges coming from disabilities and one of the ways through which they deal with the issue is by the use of student counselors. These people are a blessing to society and should ensure that they maintain professionalism in their field for the greater benefit of the society. References Anonymous. (2013). Introduction to Legal and Ethical Issues; Counselor’s Values Stone, C. B. (2009). Ethics and law: school counseling principles (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA American School Counselor Association. Blakely, C. (2009) Effectiveness of School Counselor Supervision. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Damian, P. (2002). Disability Discrimination Act. Chicago: Chicago University Press. FERPA. (2013). US Department of Education. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Guidance for Eligible Students. Available at; http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/students.html Jackson, D. (2012). Education System and Disability. London: Oxford University Press. Schultz, P. (2011). Social Education and Communication. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers. Starfield B. Primary. (2008). Care Balancing Health Needs, Services and Technology. New York: Oxford University Press. Taub, D. J. (2006). Understanding the Concerns of Parents of Students with Disabilities: Challenges and Roles for School Counsellors. Professional School Counseling; Oct 2006; 10, 1; ProQuest Central pg. 52 Read More