Using Technology in Career Counseling

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Supporting student career decision-making with the use of technology

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Supporting student career decision-making with the use of technology

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Improving School Counseling With Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Maricela E) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:44:00 +0000

The emergence of new and improved technology has impacted the field of counseling in drastic ways. The demand for counselors is rapidly growing, and the workload is piling up dramatically. Hence, the quality of counseling is decreasing in some cases because of the overwhelming case load. The use of technology in counseling settings may be the savior for this problem if counselors were more aware and competent with the use of technology and computer programs that will make them more effective and efficient counselors. According to Hayden, Poynton & Sabella (2010), “Since school counselors play an important role in shaping students’ ability to learn, communicate, and share information with others, school counselors would be well served to understand how technology can enhance their work” (p. 1). Among the many fields of counseling that can be improved with technology are in the areas of “distance learning, college and career searching, counseling interventions, training and supervision, networking and support systems, and information retrieval and dissemination” (Hayden, Poynton & Sabella, 2010).

Networking and communicating with the school and public community is one of the biggest challenges as a school counselor. With the use of technology, counselors can communicate with students, parents, and colleagues much easier. For example, Hayden, Poynton & Sabella (2010) reported that school counselors have used the internet to “e-mail scholarship information to students, conduct college searches via the Internet, explore the college application process, and provide on-line access to classroom notes” (p.1). Another counselor used technology to run a 15 minute live television show in homeroom to focus on guidance curriculum and announcements (Hayden, Poynton, & Sabella, 2010). This is a great way to reach the whole school on a daily basis in a timely manner. Counselors can also use technology to communicate more effectively with parents as well as students every day. Through web pages or e-mail, counselors can send information to parents and the community about school-related programs, college exploration tools, information about how to read test scores, and upcoming parent meetings and opportunities. According to Walter (2010), school counselors can use technology to “educate families about the unique developmental needs of early adolescents and to communicate information to parents/guardians as to how they can effectively support their students academically, socially and emotionally” (p.1). In addition, Walter (2010) adds that “technology can be an important tool for effectively communicating the role of the school counselor as well as for publicizing the services school counselors provide to the school community” (p.1)

. With added case loads and a higher demand for counseling, counselors are forced to find more efficient ways of providing quality services and programs. Hayden, Poynton & Sabella (2010) point out that “technology has the potential to help counselors manage large caseloads more efficiently while working on reducing the student-to-counselor ratios to more reasonable levels" (p.1). In return, counselors will feel less overwhelmed and be able to give more quality counseling services. According to Hayden, Poynton & Sabella (2010), “another critical issue is the amount of time that school counselors spend on administrative tasks. Creating spreadsheets, documents, and websites with commonly used forms enabled school counselors to save time on administrative tasks and spend more time on college awareness, career awareness, and responsive services for students” (p.1). School counselors should be spending their time in the classrooms observing students, facilitating group sessions, planning motivational events, communicating with parents, and counseling one-on-one with students instead of wasting time at their desks managing paperwork.

In addition to these services, computers could also be used to collect and disaggregate data from assessments and other sources. Rainey, McGlothlin, & Miller (2010) indicate, “By monitoring data such as grades, attendance, and discipline records, school counselors may be able to identify patterns in the data that inform the school counselor of previously unnoticed needs for advocacy” (p.1). Using technology in this manner will allow counselors to be more proactive in their approach to helping and guiding students.

The need for technology in technology is obvious. Communication with students, parents, colleagues, and the community is absolutely necessary, and technology makes that possible in the most effective manner. Instead of wasting time on administrative tasks and inefficient record management, technology can help counselors manage their time effectively and be more available to clients. Incorporating technology in counseling may be the most integral part of counseling reform and improvement. Because technology continues to evolve with all of its high tech tools and rapid digital exchanges, counselors must also keep pace in order to serve students and clients effectively.

References

Hayden, L., Poynton, T., & Sabella, R. (2010). School counselor's use of technology. Journal of

technology and counseling, 5(1), Retrieved from http://jtc.colstate.edu/Vol5_1/Hayden.htm

Rainey, S., McGlothlin, J., & Miller, L. (2010). Technology: school counselor attitudes,

experiences, and competency. Journal of technology and counseling, 5(1), Retrieved from

http://jtc.colstate.edu/Vol5_1/Rainey2.htm

Walter, S. (2010). A School counseling program cd-rom to foster family-middle school

engagement. Journal of technology and counseling, 5(1), Retrieved from

http://jtc.colstate.edu/Vol5_1/Walter.htm

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