Content to be included:
• What is counseling and mentoring? – Different approaches in the literature
• The distinction between counseling and counseling/helping approaches, coaching and mentoring (including what the literature says)
• Different models of Counseling and Mentoring (e.g. Counseling approaches – person-centered/cognitive-behavioural/Gerard Egan’s approach; Mentoring Approaches – Adults Mentoring Pupils, Pupil Peer Mentoring, Buddy Systems, Adult Befriending, Probationer Mentoring, Critical Friend Support etc) and how these can be applied i.e. different approaches in different settings.
• What skills are used in Counseling/helping/mentoring? (i.e. enthusiasm, approachability, capacity to motivate, empathy, fairness, clarification, and understanding, etc)
• Can everyone in an education setting use these skills? (together with concrete examples)
• How can a school adopt a whole school approach to mentoring?
• What is the benefit of mentoring – for mentors and mentees?
• What are the reasons for mentoring – i.e. to improve grades/behaviour/health and wellbeing?
• Does School-Based Mentoring work? (some of the research)
• How does School-Based Mentoring improve pupils’ attainment in school?
Assessment Criteria to meet:
• Examine critically with reference to the current literature, theoretical concepts and key principles underpinning approaches to counseling, coaching and mentoring.
• Reflect critically on the process involved in basic counseling and mentoring skills, and attitudes, and understand the use of counseling models such as that of Egan.
• Use theoretical concepts and principles to analyze significant emerging issues from supporting a range of school stakeholders e.g. pupils, colleagues, probationer teachers, and students.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of professionalism in the context of counseling and mentoring.
• Relate counseling and mentoring to wider school aims and social values.
• Identify professional priorities for future development.