. Demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking appropriate to graduate-level scholarship. © 2013 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 3 3. Follow APA Publication Manual guidelines; avoid typographical, spelling, and grammatical err
Using the Final Project Template Attached, include all
three project components explained below in the Overview of Final Project
Components section.
2. Demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking
appropriate to graduate-level scholarship.
© 2013 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 3
3. Follow APA Publication Manual guidelines; avoid typographical, spelling, and
grammatical errors; and adhere to Walden’s Academic Integrity guidelines.
(Information on scholarly writing may be found in the APA Publication Manual
and at the Walden Writing Center website.)
4. The paper should be 7 to 10 pages in length (double-spaced), not including the
title and reference pages.
5. Support your points with specific references to the Learning Resources from the
course and the interview.
Final Project Grading
It is graded on a 135-point scale according to the specifications identified in the Final
Project Rubric.
Overview of Final Project Components
Component I: Narrative Summation of Interview
Your summation should be presented as a narrative rather than a list of questions and
answers. It is recommended that you audiotape the interview so that you can review it
as you complete the Final Project.
For the interview, use the following questions. Several questions relate to topics
covered in this course in order for you to gain an understanding of how the course
topics apply to the life of a school counselor. If a question is related to a weekly topic,
the week number is in parentheses after the question.
During the interview you may add additional questions of your own that are prompted by
the conversation:
1. When someone asks you how being a school counselor is different from being a
mental health counselor, a social worker, or a school psychologist, what do you
tell that person?
2. Please explain what counseling credential you have (e.g., license or certificate)
and what the qualifications are for this in your state. What examinations, if any,
are required (e.g., Praxis)?
3. Please describe what a typical day looks like for you as you do your job?
4. What ethical and legal issues do you have to keep in mind each day?
5. How does understanding and respecting multiculturalism help you as a school
counselor?
6. How do you use assessments to help you with your work as a school counselor?
7. How do you partner with a student’s family and other stakeholder when
addressing a student’s issue?
8. Talk about your experiences with referring students to outside mental health
counseling. Do you have a protocol to follow?
9. Does your school have a crisis plan for use in case of an emergency? Talk about
a time when you had to respond to a critical situation in your school or district on
© 2013 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 3 of 3
either an individual basis (e.g., death of a student or a student’s family member,
a house fire, etc.) or on a larger basis (e.g., community crisis or natural disaster).
(Week 8)
10. What is the role of accountability for a school counselor? In what ways are you
accountable and how do you address that accountability?
11. How have you engaged in advocacy (for students or for the profession)? If so,
what did that involve and how did it go? (Week 6)
12. What do you do to maintain self-care and wellness?
13. What is your personal view about the future of the school counseling profession?
14. What are the most significant personal development issues you face as a school
counselor? How have you addressed personal and professional growth and
development?
Component II: A Day in the Life of a Professional School Counselor
Using the information from the interview, the course Learning Resources, and course
assignments, create the story of a day in the life of the school counselor you
interviewed. Embed in your story the significant information from both the course and
the interview. Be specific, use examples, and include what you believe to be the most
significant topics, even if they might not come up in a typical day.
The purpose of this project component is for you to demonstrate your understanding of
what day-to-day life is like for a school counselor, related to and referencing the material
in the course as well as information gleaned elsewhere. It also is to demonstrate how a
counselor might address/handle issues and/or situations that are the most important
and/or challenging.
Component III: Reflection
In this section you reflect on what you have learned in both the interview and the course
regarding a balanced approach to the professional duties and responsibilities of a
school counselor and about self-care. Describe how you see your future role as a
school counselor. In your reflection, respond to the questions below. Your reflection
should be presented as a narrative rather than a listing of questions and answers.
1. What did you learn from the interview that you did not learn in the course?
2. What, if anything, did you learn from the interview that contrasted with what you
learned in the course?
3. What do you understand better from the course as a result of doing the
interview?
4. What came to life in the interview so that the information you gained in the
course is more meaningful and relevant now?
5. What do you anticipate the impact of being a school counselor may be on who
you are personally?
