Role of School Counselors in Working Mentally Ill Students
School counselors play important role in the lives of students, as they help them tackles some of the challenges they face. Importantly, they help in addressing the needs and concerns of mentally ill students. One of the primary roles of the school counselor in dealing with students with mental health problems is to help them address their needs (DeKruyf, Auger & Trice-Black, 2013). They help mentally ill students to meet their needs by referring them to mental health facilities and providers who are better placed to solve mental health problems. They also collaborate and form an alliance with other mental health experts in order to effectively address the needs of the affected students.
In addition, it is the role of school counselors to bridge the gap that exists between mentally ill students who are referred to outside services and those who are able to receive the services. Many mentally sick students do not receive adequate services from outside referral, including their families. Therefore, school counselors play important role in lives of mentally ill children (DeKruyf, Auger & Trice-Black, 2013).
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School Counselor’s Role Vs Clinical Counselor
School counselors mainly serve students, including parents in a school environment setting. Counselor in the clinical setting, on the other hand, can work with individuals and groups like children, adults, the elderly, and families. The main role of student counselor is to counsel and mentor learners in a number of social, behavioral, and psychological issues affecting them (Kaffenberger & O'Rorke-Trigiani, 2013). They can also help in the development of school curriculum that meets the needs of various groups of students. They mainly work with teachers and parents to help children meet their needs and solve emerging problems. However, clinical counselors assess and address the social, emotional, and mental needs of patients. Besides, they monitor the progress of the client in collaboration with other staff.
References
DeKruyf, L., Auger, R., & Trice-Black, S. (2013). The role of school counselors in meeting students' mental health needs: Examining issues of professional identity. Professional School Counseling , 16 (5), 271-282.
Kaffenberger, C., & O'Rorke-Trigiani, J. (2013). Addressing student mental health needs by providing direct and indirect services and building alliances in the community. Professional School Counseling , 16 (5), 323-332.
