MTTC School Counselor (051) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Informed consent for minors

Counselor obtains guardian permission and student assent, explains counseling purpose, voluntary nature, and the limits of confidentiality in language the student understands.

FERPA parent access right

Parents may inspect and request amendment of their child's education records until the student turns 18 or enrolls in postsecondary education; sole-possession notes are typically excluded.

Mandatory reporting threshold

Reasonable suspicion, not proof, of abuse or neglect triggers a report to the designated state agency; the counselor documents the report, date, and agency contact.

Dual relationship avoidance

Counselors avoid counseling students they teach, coach, or supervise; if unavoidable, they obtain consent, consult, document, and transfer the student when objectivity is impaired.

Scope of practice limit

School counselors provide short-term, goal-focused counseling and referral; they do not diagnose mental disorders or deliver long-term psychotherapy.

Suicide risk response sequence

Assess risk directly, keep the student supervised, notify guardians immediately, refer for emergency evaluation, document all actions, and complete a reentry safety plan.

Confidentiality limits disclosure

At the first session, counselors tell students that danger to self or others, abuse, and court orders override confidentiality, in developmentally appropriate terms.

Sole-possession notes

Private counselor notes kept in the counselor's sole possession and not shared are generally not education records, but they lose that status once shared.

Piaget formal operational stage

Beginning around age 11, students reason abstractly and hypothetically, consider multiple perspectives, and test ideas mentally, which enables long-term planning and ethical reasoning.

Erikson industry versus inferiority

The school-age psychosocial task (roughly 6 to 12) in which success in school and peer tasks builds competence, while repeated failure or criticism breeds inferiority.

Erikson identity versus role confusion

The adolescent task (roughly 12 to 18) of integrating values, interests, and roles into a coherent self; exploration and safe trial of identities support resolution.

Kohlberg conventional level

Reasoning that judges right and wrong by social approval and existing rules or laws; typical of older children and many adolescents and used to frame peer conflict discussions.

Maslow lower needs priority

Physiological and safety needs must be reasonably met before belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs drive behavior; hunger or fear reduces engagement with learning.

Vygotsky zone of proximal development

The range between what a student can do alone and what the student can do with adult or peer guidance; scaffolding is gradually removed as competence develops.

Bronfenbrenner mesosystem

The interactions among a student's microsystems, such as home-school communication and parent-teacher conferences, which shape development as much as each setting alone.

Bandura self-efficacy

A student's belief about their capability to succeed at a task; it predicts persistence and effort, and grows through mastery experiences, modeling, and encouragement.

Gilligan ethic of care

A moral orientation emphasizing relationships, empathy, and responsibility to others; Gilligan argued it is a different voice, not a lower stage than justice reasoning.

ASCA four program components

Define, manage, deliver, and assess: the four elements of the ASCA National Model for building and evaluating a comprehensive school counseling program.

Eighty percent direct services

The ASCA recommendation that school counselors spend at least 80 percent of time in direct and indirect services to students rather than clerical or supervisory duties.

Direct versus indirect services

Direct services are delivered to students, such as classroom lessons and counseling; indirect services act on the student's behalf, such as referral and consultation.

Closing-the-gap action plan

A written plan targeting a measured discrepancy in achievement, attendance, or discipline between student groups, naming interventions, timeline, and outcome measure.

Core curriculum lesson design

Each lesson names an ASCA student standard, a measurable objective, a developmentally appropriate activity, and an evaluation method, and is delivered to all students.

Annual agreement purpose

A document negotiated with the principal that defines counselor roles, use of time, program goals, and boundaries around noncounseling duties for the school year.

Small-group counseling design

Groups have a stated goal, screening criteria, a fixed session count, a curriculum, and pre/post measures so the counselor can judge whether the group worked.

Three data types

Participation data show who received services, mindsets and behaviors data show student change, and results data show achievement, attendance, or discipline outcomes.

Program audit purpose

A structured comparison of current practice with the ASCA National Model components, producing a written action plan for the following school year.

Consultation stages

Identify the problem, analyze the setting and student, plan an intervention, implement, and evaluate; the consultee, not the counselor, retains responsibility for the student.

MTSS three tiers

Tier 1 universal support for all students, Tier 2 targeted small-group intervention, and Tier 3 intensive individualized support, each with progress monitoring.

Needs assessment timing

A needs assessment is conducted before program planning to identify gaps and priorities among students, staff, and families, and it informs annual program goals.

Perception versus results data

Perception data capture stakeholder attitudes, knowledge, or satisfaction through surveys; results data capture measurable changes in achievement, attendance, or behavior.

Logic model elements

A chain linking inputs, activities, outputs, and short- and long-term outcomes, showing the rationale for how a program activity should produce its intended result.

Advisory council composition

A team of students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members that reviews program goals, data, and results and advises the counseling program annually.