THE ROLE OF THE COUNSELLING TEAM

Shanghai United International School Wanyuan US High School has two Career and University Guidance counselors, one assistant College and University Guidance Counselor and a psychological counsellor supporting students in grades 10-12. Our mission is to assist students in setting realistic goals, developing decision-making skills, and preparing students for the transition to college/university life.

 

The School Counselling Team works in a collaborative manner with the pastoral team and the school administration to provide customized pastoral support to individual students. The role of the counsellors covers three main integrated areas: psychological health, career planning, and university and college guidance. These individuals come from various academic fields and they have extensive backgrounds and many years of experience providing guidance counselling services.

 

 

 

PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH

The school has a full-time school psychological counselor and it is equipped with a professional psychological counseling room. This counselor addresses students’ mental health while providing emotional support in relevant areas to guide students to correctly face the difficulties and problems of adolescent life.

 

The psychological counselor focuses on:

• Offering preventive and developmental mental health education for all students to help them develop fully in self-awareness, frustration, adaptation to a new environment, promotion of learning interest, and ways of making friends
• Giving scientific and effective psychological consultation and guidance to students with psychological distress so that they can get rid of obstacles and adjust themselves to improve their mental health level and enhance their self-education ability
• Providing parents’ psychological lectures so that parents can learn and use psychological knowledge to help their children grow up in a healthy manner
• Carrying out the training of teachers’ psychological knowledge and teaching skills in order to help them effectively manage the class, understand the psychological development of students, and deal with the psychological problems of students reasonably and effectively.
• Gradually establish a sound school mental health education system and create scientific and effective mental health files for students.

 

 

 

CAREER PLANNING

Based on work with Kuder, the school will introduce a program to all grade 10 students titled Direct Your Future^TMwhich is a career exploration program for high school students. The curriculum is grounded in career development theory especially that of Dr. Donald Super and Dr. John Holland while incorporating assessment tools called Kuder Career Interests Assessment® and the Kuder Skills Confidence Assessment®. Through a series of modules students will be challenged to focus on themselves and the world of work and to learn how to map out a future career path.

 

The purpose of this curriculum is to teach career management and transition skills. By the time students complete this experience, they will be able to identify their educational plans, target occupations, or their career options.

 

 

 

UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE GUIDANCE

The School Counselor Team helps students get access to universities and colleges across the globe. To support students and their parents on this journey, university guidance counselors have the following roles in school guidance and counseling:

 

General Student Supports and Wrap-Around Services:

• Meet with students and parents regularly to review academic progress and select appropriate courses
• Assist students in relating their abilities, aptitudes, and interests to current and future educational and occupational choices
• Assist students and parents in understanding the college admission process
• Assist students in the acquisition, evaluation, and appropriate use of information
• Encourage student and parent participation in school college fairs, admission and financial aid workshops, and related programs
• Assist students in selecting and registering for appropriate college admission tests, interpreting test scores, and their influence in the admission process
• Assist students with developing a personal timeline or calendar
• Work with students and teachers in developing students’ essay-writing skills
• Assist students in developing appropriate interviewing skills
• Work with college admission representatives to schedule visits to the school
• Provide a supportive environment for students and parents
• Assist students and parents with preparation for the separation process that will occur in the school to college transition

 

 

Grade 10:

• Review student interest inventories/characteristics, assist students to select suitable extracurricular activities, and track TOEFL test results;

 

• Actively communicate with parents to understand students’ school selection choices, assist students with psychological and development growth, provide consultation regarding initial student application intentions and overseas university information.

 

• One to One tracking of each student’s academic, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of student development

 

• One on One conference with students and parents to provide guidance and support

 

• Host a Career Day including information sharing with support from parents

 

 

Grade 11:

• Organize workshops on guidance courses for overseas students to learn about their respective advantages, benefits, and characteristics

 

• Assist students in how to search overseas universities/colleges

 

• Guide students to complete overseas documents, inform students of teaching methods, tap students’ potential, be familiar with the characteristics of each document topic, and highlight the accomplishments of students

 

• Assist teachers and students with the completion of Recommendation Letters

 

 

Grade 12:

• Follow up on Cialfo submissions and lead the students to enter the online application stage one by one. Students choose schools and submit online applications and paperwork

 

• Assist students to apply for study/student visa in foreign countries

 

• Organize on-campus information sessions with the Visa Officer to gain a better understanding of this process. Visa Officers facilitate face-to-face meetings to help students overcome problems that they may encounter with the visa application – assist in  answering questions while providing the appropriate materials and documents to be prepared

 

• Organize opportunities for graduates to return to school to share their experiences with the application process with students and parents. Invite former students to share their educational experiences abroad

 

• Assist students in creating Graduation Book/Graduation Ceremony

 

• Provide wrap-around Supports and additional Leadership Opportunities

 

• Oversee CAP class, ECA selection, mental health supports, and guidance to adapting overseas life adaptation

 

 

 

 

CUG Program: Comprehensive and One Step at a Time

 

CUG Program: One Step at a Time