Aims Of Guidance And Counselling Progra

Aims of Guidance and Counselling Programs

The aims of the guidance and counselling service are similar to the purposes of education in general—to assist the student in fulfilling her basic physiological needs, understanding herself and acceptance of others, developing associations with peers, balancing between permissiveness and controls in the educational setting, realizing successful achievement, and providing opportunities to gain independence. The purposes of guidance and counselling provide emphasis and strength to the educational program. Some specific aims of the school guidance and counselling program include the following (Gibson, 2009):
To Provide for the Realization of Student Potentialities
To all students, the school offers a wide choice of courses and co-curricular activities. A significant function of education is to help students identify and develop their potentialities. The counsellor's role is to assist students to distribute their energies into the many learning opportunities available to them. Every student needs help in planning his major course of study and pattern of co-curricular activities.
To Help Children with Developing Problems
Even those students who have chosen an appropriate educational program for themselves may have problems that require help. A teacher may need to spend from one-fifth to one-third of his time with a few pupils who require a great deal of help, which deprives the rest of the class from the teacher's full attention to their needs. The counsellor, by helping these youngsters to resolve their difficulties, frees the classroom teacher to use his time more efficiently.
To Contribute to the Development of the School's Curriculum
Counsellors, in working with individual students, know their personal problems and aspirations, their talents and abilities, as well as the social pressures confronting them. Counsellors, therefore, can provide data that serve as a basis for curriculum development, and they can help curriculum developers shape courses of study that more accurately reflect the needs of students. Too often, counsellors are not included in curriculum development efforts.
To Provide Teachers with Technical Assistance
Pre-service teacher training institutions typically provide very limited experience with the more technical aspects of guidance work. Thus, a need exists in most schools for assistance with guidance and counselling functions essential to the educational program. Specifically, the guidance counsellor is qualified to assist teachers with selecting, administering, and interpreting tests; selecting and using cumulative, anecdotal, and other types of records; providing help and suggestions relative to counselling techniques, which teachers can use in counselling their students; and providing leadership in developing and conducting professional development of teachers in guidance functions.
To Contribute to the Mutual Adjustment of Students and the School
Guidance has a responsibility for developing and maintaining a cooperative relationship between students and the school. Teachers and counsellors must be cognizant of students' needs. Students also must make adjustments to the school. They have a responsibility to contribute something to the school. A major contribution of students is that of making appropriate use of the school's resources and working toward accomplishments. Such mutual adjustment of students and school is facilitated by providing suggestions for program improvements, conducting research for educational improvements, contributing to students' adjustment through counselling, and fostering wholesome school-home attitudes.