Notes Wolf Article
Case study:
17 years old, What would you doing this scenario:
Public School Educators:
-how do counselors address spirituality within the confines of the First Amendment,
spiritually comes up indirectly or directly.
-It is unethical for school counselors to advocate for their personal spiritual beliefs.
"refrains from consciously encouraging the counselor's acceptance of values... and beliefs that represent the counselor's personal orientation.
-addressing spirituality can be found in history and social science teachers.
-history teachers have long faced the problem because of human history when speaking about religion and spirituality.
-two recommendations as far as how to handle this in school counseling.
1. teaching religions should emphasize the importance of tolerance respect and mutual understanding
2. teaching about religions should be descriptive nonconfessional and conducted in an environment free of advocacy.
-instruct and inform objectively and neutrally
-knowing a basic understanding of the law spirituality and religion
multicultural considerations:
-Counselors are obligated to learn about the diverse populations within rural and ethnic populations.
-The standard of understanding students' ethical thinking and perspectives are influenced b their own sense of spirituality.
it tends to present challenges when school counselors assist students from different cultural/ethnic and spiritualities.
intently learning about the obvious differences is culture is not enough.
Options for COUNSELING THEORY:
integrating spirituality into their counseling theory and practices:
Choice theory and Reality Therapy can incorporate spirituality into their interactions with students by helping them identify their core human needs (LOVE BELONGING POWER FREEDOM FUN SURVIVAL)
Maslow, underscored the importance of people meeting their needs describing them as a hierarchy.
1) people must fulfill their shortcomings within their needs (survival safety belonging and self-esteem)
2) after these needs are met, people can begin to meet their growth as people. (intellectual achievement, aesthetic appreciation, and self-actualization.
3) from {person centered theory) beliefs of people having worth and dignity and can make their own decisions and select their own values.
FALLIBILITY AND SPIRITUALITY:
We are all human and there is a common theme found in literature in music. synonyms with a person's fundamental weakness
using students' mistakes as an avenue to understand their spirituality and further their personal development, without associating the client's personal worth with their own success and failures.
COUNSELING GUIDELINES:
Inventory of counselors' own spirituality.
example: how would you handle a 17-year-old who comes into your office wanting to know all the options available to her without integrating your beliefs?
Referring to the student when discussing spiritual issues can be better explained through a knowledgeable person a pastoral counselor not affiliated with the school to address spiritual concerns.
because it's so difficult to maintain a neutral stance on spirituality, you need to make sure you ask yourself if the focus on the session if you are focusing on the student's spirituality.
if you answer no, you need to redirect the conversation back to the student's own beliefs, and how they interpret things, how they influence what is being explored.
the other experience might be that a student asked for advice from the client. School counselors should decline to answer and redirect the question back to their own ethics and spirituality of the student.
example: I appreciate that you are asking me for advice, but your decision must be made with your own values and spirituality, not mine. Tell me a bit more about what is important for you?
Use this to educate the student on why you cant give spiritual direction, if this is not explained the class of response will send the wrong message.
safe topics include universal human ethics that are across many religions such as ideals, kindness love forgiveness treating others as you would want to be treated.
ask yourself "what are my beliefs and how do they influence MC both as a person and as a school counselor?"
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