The Intervention and Referral services notably known as I&RS is an interdisciplinary team of professionals in the school environment that come together throughout the year to develop team delivery systems and coordinated services to address a complete range of behavior, health, student learning, and social problems in the entire education program. The I&RS program also determines students in need of special education programs and services. The main purpose of the Intervention and Referral service is to see student improvement in the targeted areas. The I&RS program has a committee that comprises of the principal, I&RS coordinator, child study team member, teachers, and a nurse if necessary.
The committee establishes an action plan that contains interventions, goals, and a timeline for the duration of the plan. This committee follows a multidisciplinary approach that has a well-structured system of supportive services and activities for staff that has identified students with difficulties and those who will be involved in the identified educational concerns amelioration. This paper seeks to explore the range of service delivery systems services such as individual counseling, peer mediation, group counseling, career counseling, consultation with the teacher, and school counseling core curriculum. The paper will also analyze the case study presented in the Blooming Park simulation and summarize the case, assess the information in the case study, and further propose one delivery system service that will be suitable for the case.
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Part I
There is a range of service delivery systems that can be utilized in the Intervention and Referral services. One of the systems that can be used in providing intervention and referral services is individual counseling. Individual counseling is a personal opportunity that students can receive support and experience developed during their challenging times in life (Franke, 2017). Individual counseling assists a person to deal with numerous personal topics in life such as anxiety, anger, substance abuse, school difficulties, relationship challenges, parenting problems as well as depression. In this service delivery system, a person works one-on-one with a trained mental health clinician in a caring, safe, and confidential environment. Counseling permits people to examine their beliefs, behaviors, feelings, work through challenging memories, set individual goals, and work towards the desired changes. In general, individual counseling concentrates on the immediate or near future concerns of an individual. This delivery system ensures a strong relationship that enables trust and personal development.
Another service delivery system that can be used in the Intervention and Referral services is peer mediation. Peer mediation is a process by which two or more students involved in a disagreement meet in a private and confidential setting to work out their differences with the help of a trained student mediator. The process depends on the mediator to assist these individuals to use negotiation, communication, or problem-solving skills to resolve the differences between while at the same time reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. The main purpose of peer mediation is increasing communication among administrators, teachers, parents, students, and administrators as well as reduces school suspensions, vandalism, and violence (Spann et al., 2020). More so, peer mediation encourages adolescents, teens, and children to resolve their disputes by developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and listening skills. Peer mediation also teaches student s peaceful resolution of differences, an important skill that is needed in a multicultural world. Lastly, peer mediation motivates the interest of students injustice, conflict resolution, and encourages active citizenship.
Apart from peer mediation, group counseling is also a significant service delivery system that can be used in intervention and referral services. Group counseling is a counseling group that consists of six to eight students who meet one-on-one with one or more trained group therapists and talk about what concerns them the most. Members of group counseling listen to each and freely express their thoughts and feelings about what other members do or say to them. The frequent interactions allow members to heighten understanding of self and others, attempt new ways of socializing with others, and further learn more effective ways to interact. As opined by Burlingame, McClendon, and Yang (2018), the group sessions content is confidential and members should commit to confidentiality. They can discuss their experiences with whom they choose but they cannot identify other members of the group. Group counseling helps students to gain an understanding of their problems and explore possible solutions. Group counseling also enhances emotional expressiveness, reduce social isolation, increase observation and feedback skills as well as develop good communication skills. Furthermore, group counseling improves problem-solving skills, enables students to practice interpersonal skills in a safe group setting, and further enables them to give as well as receive support.
Additionally, career counseling is a type of counseling that involves advice-giving and support from a career counselor to assist people to manage their journey through work and life changes. Career counseling helps people to explore careers, make career choices, and further manages career changes. Career counseling also deals with lifelong career development and other career-related issues such as poor time management and trust issues with the family to non-agreement between children and parents on which career to choose. Career counseling is significant because it assists students in picking the right career. Based on a person’s aptitude, interests, and personality evaluation, career counselors can determine the best career options from the available relevant options.
Career counseling also helps people by providing expert resources which gives them knowledge of careers, the scope, and paths to take to achieve different careers. On the other hand, career counseling helps people to gain confidence and insight about a chosen career by making them understand the hurdles in the career path. This vast knowledge develops the confidence to overcome career hurdles. Career counseling helps people to change an unwanted behavior pattern, remove career-related frustration, and further bring stability in thought.
Consultation is another service delivery system that empowers various stakeholders within a school system to offer improved services to students. According to Jami and Walsh (2017), detailed school counseling practices entails direct and indirect services delivery to enhance students’ academic achievement. Consultation is motivated by a commitment of people in sharing information, listening to opinions, and working together to solve problems and resolve the differences that exist between two parties. Consultation is important in schools because it promotes understanding as well as problem-solving between the administration and students. It also identifies opportunities, helps decision making, and ensure that ideas of students work effectively in practice.
Collaboration is an indirect student service that requires creative integration of needs as well as joint ownership of decisions. The collaboration consists of coalitions, partnerships, alliances, networks, and teams. Collaboration also involves consensus building and trust. The main purpose of the collaboration is not solving problems through compromise but achieving synergies that can contribute to innovative solutions. A school setting collaboration develops a learning environment that facilitates educational equity for every student. Parents should be involved in the development of their children to promote as well as support student success. The collaborations between school counselors and teachers, parents, student support staff, community leaders, and administrators direct a detailed school counseling program to advocate for all students' career, academic and social needs. Collaboration also develops a school culture that facilitates student systemic change, success, and advocacy and strengthens the school counseling program's mission. Collaborations for school counselors maximize the utilization of limited school resources.
Part II
Case study 1
This case study talks about Gwen Kartz, a ten-year-old student in the fifth-grade at Max Assen Elementary School. Gwen is the only child that lives with parents and comes from a middle-class background. When her family moved from another state, she attended the school since second grade. Gwen is a gifted student and has participated in the gifted program of the school for mathematics as well as language arts. She is shy but she has always had friends, particularly among smart girls. However, this year, Gwen is struggling socially and her former friends have shunned her and even two of them have bullied her. As much as her parents have attended several conferences with the school to discuss bullying, Gwen has withdrawn from school and her grades have suffered immensely.
Based on the above case, it is evident that Gwen is finding some difficulties in her social life. The social life of Gwen has been affected by his friends shunning her and even bullied by two of his classmates. This has made her withdraw from school as much as her parents have attended various conferences to discuss the issue of bullying. Since Gwen is being shunned and bullied by her friend, Gwen and her friends must have group counseling. In this case, a group counseling delivery system is favorable because it will allow Gwen and her friends to meet and discuss the issue that is making their friendship to deteriorate. They will listen to each other and freely express their feelings and thoughts about what they feel towards each other. By doing this, everyone will give his or her reasons why they are treating Gwen that way and gain an understanding of each other's problem. After knowing each one's faults, they will support Gwen and avoid treating her harshly.
Case study 2
This case talks about Jason Bradford, a 13-year-old and grades six students at the Madison Middle School. Jason is older as compared to most of his peers because he was held back in second grade. He comes from a low-SES background and his parents are divorced. His mother has been incarcerated for two years because of drug addiction and has two siblings in elementary school. Their small house has also been closed two months back and his family has been ‘couch surfing’ at the home of a friend who is out of town. As a result of these problems, Jason has been talking back to teachers and even fighting with other students most of the time. He has also been suspended for three days after fighting in the cafeteria. He has also dropped in performance and his grades are mostly Ds.
From Jason’s case, it is evident that he is facing numerous problems from his family. His parents are divorced, her mother is incarcerated for addiction and his father does not have a job that can sustain them. Additionally, their house has been closed. These problems have made Jason not to settle in school and even start talking back to teachers and fighting others. Based on the above-mentioned problems, Jason needs to seek individual counseling. Individual counseling is the appropriate delivery system for this case. Individual counseling is a personal opportunity that Jason ought to seek to receive support and experience development during this challenging time in his life. Individual counseling will also assist Jason to deal with anger, school difficulties, and family problems.
This service delivery system will enable him to examine his behavior, feelings, and challenging time he is experiencing in his life. He will also improve his personal development.
Case study 3
The third case talks about Amir Malik, a 15-year student in ninth grade at the Sylvia Plath High School. Amir lives with his mother, father, young sister, and the older brother who is a freshman at the Ivy League School. He comes from a well off family and he has always been an A student. Lately, his grades have been slipping slowly. The problems evident in Amir’s case are deteriorating performance. His performance is gradually dropping as much as he comes from a well off background. In this case, Amir needs to seek consultation. The consultation service delivery system will empower Amir to improve his performance in class. It will also enable him to share information, listen to opinions, and solve his problems. The consultation will also promote an understanding between him and the teacher to improve his performance. Additionally, parents will also consult with him to know the reasons that are making him drop in his performance. Lastly, the consultation will enable Amir to identify his opportunities, help him in decision making, and ensure his ideas work effectively in practice.
Conclusively, intervention, and referral services are important in addressing a complete range of behavior, health, student learning, and social problems in the entire education program. To start with, individual counseling assists students to deal with school difficulties, family problems, and anger. On the other hand, group counseling helps students to listen to each other and express their feelings and thoughts on how they feel about each other. Apart from group counseling, peer mediation help students to solve their differences. Finally, consultation and collaboration are indirect service delivery systems that help students in a school system. Consultation empowers the student in a school system to improve their performance while collaboration creates a learning environment that promotes equity for all students.
References
Burlingame, G. M., McClendon, D. T., & Yang, C. (2018). Cohesion in group therapy: A meta-analysis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 38
Jami, A. A., & Walsh, P. R. (2017). From consultation to collaboration: A participatory framework for positive community engagement with wind energy projects in Ontario, Canada. Energy research & social science, 27, 14-24.
Franke, U. (2017). In my mind's eye: Family constellations in individual therapy and counselling. Carl-Auer Verlag.
Spann, M., Seijo, J. C. T., & López, C. M. (2020, January). Peer mediation in schools in Colombia in the context of armed conflict and migration. In [GKA EDU 2020] Congreso Internacional de Educación y Aprendizaje.
