K-12 Counseling Program
The comprehensive Prince William County Schools counseling program (K-12) is an essential and effective educational framework that will enable all students in our diverse population to acquire personal/social, career, and academic competencies necessary to function and to contribute as productive citizens in a changing society.
The Goal of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program
The ultimate goal of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program is to complement and support the state Standards of Learning to ensure that all students in Pre-K through grade 12 receive support in academic, career, and personal/social development. The Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Comprehensive School Counseling Program is a collaborative effort with parents, teachers, administrators, and other school and community members to foster, promote, and improve student success and achievement in our schools. In conjunction with the Office of Student Services, each Prince William County Public School shall establish a Comprehensive School Counseling Program which is based on the Virginia Department of Education Standards for School Counseling Programs (PDF) in Virginia Public Schools and the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) National Model (PDF.)
PWCS School Counseling Standards
The Standards for School Counseling Programs in Virginia Public Schools reflect the progression of the student’s growth throughout the Pre-K through grade 12 school experience, and are organized by grade level and comprised of the following three domains:
A. Academic Domain
Includes academic counseling, which assists students and their parents in acquiring knowledge of the curriculum choices available to students, planning a program of studies, arranging and interpreting academic testing, and seeking post-secondary academic opportunities. This domain also focuses on achieving goals and assisting students in understanding the relationship of academics to the world of work, and to life at home and in the community.
B. Career Domain
Includes career counseling, which helps students acquire information and take actions relative to work, jobs, apprenticeships, and post-secondary educational and career opportunities.
C. Social-Emotional
Includes personal/social counseling, which assists students to develop an understanding of themselves, the rights and needs of others, and to resolve conflict and define individual goals reflecting their interests, abilities, and aptitudes. Students are also assisted in understanding and acquiring personal safety skills. Such counseling may be provided either in (i) groups in which generic issues of social development are addressed, or (ii) through structured individual or small group multi-session counseling which focuses on the special concerns of the participant.