Exemplar 5: ASCA Model Book

Scott Birkestrand
San Diego State University

Introduction
My fifth exemplar is the completion of studying and practicing all of the skills in the
ASCA Model book. Throughout my two years in graduate school I have taken classes focusing
on all parts of the ASCA model and my experiences at practicum and fieldwork have allowed me
to practice and perform the skills I have learned and adapted to be my own. I will take the
attitude, knowledge, and skills that I have learned from the book and focus them into the
comprehensive school counseling program that I plan to implement as a professional counselor.
The goal of learning the ASCA model is to implement it into schools to support students in a
holistic manner that promotes healthy social/emotional skills, high academic achievement, and
the tools necessary to be college and career ready. My personal goal is to support all students in
their pursuit of lifelong well-being and happiness. I believe that the skills I have learned
throughout this program have supported me in meeting my personal goal.
Standards Addressed
Standard 20: Career Development
One of the three content areas of instruction for the school counseling core curriculum is
career development. Career development has always been an obvious goal to me when I think
about education from a big picture perspective. However, it is easy to have a narrow focus when
trying to meet milestones such as high test scores, high attendance rates, and high graduation
rates. One class that supported me in understanding how to incorporate career development into
every aspect of my school counseling skills was CSP 645 College Planning Career. In this class I
studied several different career theories that became embedded in the way I use my counseling
skills with students. By having several different career theory perspectives to use, I can adapt
how I implement career development opportunities with each student. One aspect of this course

was developing a library of online career development tools to use with students. Most of these
tools are based on the theories we studied, which makes incorporating the online tools easy and
effortless.
Standard 25: Individual Counseling
Individual counseling is a powerful part of the direct student services school counselors
perform through the ASCA model. Counseling theories are vital in providing positive support to
students. Throughout my two years in SDSUs graduate program I have studied several modern
theories that are effective and efficient when it comes to both preventative and responsive
individual counseling in classes such as CSP 600 Cross-cultural Counseling and CSP 662
Counseling Intervention for Children and Adolescence. These classes have also supported me in
understanding and implementing theories to identify successful interventions for students. These
classes have also shown me how to be an accountable and intentional counselor through
recording and analyzing data, and using evidence based interventions and practices that make
positive growth.
Conclusion
The ASCA model has been an overarching model that has been referenced in most of the
classes I have taken during my graduate experience. This model has set a clear understanding of
what it takes to create a comprehensive school counseling program that can support all students.
The model supports students social and emotionally, academically, and to be college and career
ready. The field of school counseling has grown quickly in an exponential way. Having a modern
model to follow has allowed my studies to be focused, and critical. The clear layout of the model
has allowed my focused and critical view to take the model and adapt to my personal style.

Although the model has supported me throughout this program I believe the school counseling
profession has room to grow and develop into an even more encompassing model.