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LESSON 4
The roles, characteristics, and functions of various guidance personnel

What are in store for you?

1. The roles, characteristics, and functions of various guidance personnel

Duration: 3 Hours Introduction

Every individual who involved himself/herself in the helping profession definitely

has a set of personal characteristics and set of professional competencies to back up
his/her desire to be of help to those who are in need of a particular service his/her office
provides. Teachers, Health Workers, Social Workers, Guidance Personnel and many
others belong to this group of helping personnel.

Guidance personnel for their part bring

with them such characteristics and
competencies, their characteristics which are
innately nurtured by their immediate
surroundings and their competencies which are
provided by the delivering institution where they
finish the course as such. The personal
characteristics and professional
competencies they possess have prepared them
to perform well in a given role and responsibilities.

What you should know? (Main Objective)

● At the end of this module, it is expected that you distinguish the roles,
characteristics, and functions of guidance personnel.

Specifically, you should be able to:

● understand the need for guidance and guidance personnel in schools;

● outline the different activities to be rendered by the different guidance personnel; ●
compare the role of the counsellor from other guidance personnel.

What do you already know? (Pre-test)

As part of procedures for determining your prior knowledge on the topic

presented in this module, I want you to answer the matching type quiz below without
any pretension or interest to impress me and your classmates. Your honesty is the key
to success in achieving the intended learning outcomes of this module for you.

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 Matching type. Match column A with column B. Place the letter of your answer
inside the box before each number in Column A.

Answer Column A Column B

1. He/she is the one who is responsible to A. Principal
manage or organize every program in
guidance and counselling.
2. He/she assists people with personal, B. Guidance Counselor
family, educational, mental health
and career decisions and problems.
3. He/she identifies and selects tests; and C. Guidance Director
sets the schedule of the testing
services.
4. He/she acts as the chairman of the D. Researcher
Guidance program in every school.
5. He/she serves as the assistant of the E. Psychologist
guidance director wherein he/she is
making some letters, and giving
reports to his/her head/director.
6. He/she supports individuals and F. Guidance Secretary
provides services involving the
community.
7. He/she manages, collects and analyzes G. Psychometrician
information and organizes data which
are presented in oral and written form.

8. He/she helps individuals to have better H. Teacher

care with their mental health condition.
9. He/she specializes in the study of mind I. Social Worker
and behavior of the individual in the
treatment of mental, emotional and
behavioural disorder.
10. He/she is the key person in the actual J. Psychiatrist
guidance activities inside the
classroom.

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ACTIVITY

Siya ang Idol ko sa School…..

Check at least three names from the list below where you had a consoling
experience during the lowest moment of your stay in the school where you finished your
high school education.
School Personnel
1. Subject Teacher
2. Class Adviser
3. Principal
4. Guidance Counselor
5. Guidance Secretary
6. Librarian
7. Canteen Personnel
8. Guidance Director
9. Others (Please write here. ____________________

How did they show concern for you during the lowest period of your schooling?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________.

Were you able to feel their presence during that particular moment?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________.

Were you able to find them as a shoulder to cry on?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________.

You finally did it, you already completed the first two tasks. Before you begin I
would like you to reflect on what you have done and experienced in your recent activity
because that is the key to moving forward. You can do that by completing each clause
below.

The activities above made me remember

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________

It made me think and realize that

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______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________

I therefore commit to

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________

By this time, you are very much prepared to learn more about roles,
characteristics, and functions of various guidance personnel.

ANALYSIS

This part explains or discusses the different roles, characteristics and functions of
guidance personnel in the guidance and counseling office.

Who are the Guidance Personnel?

1. Guidance Director

He/she has the overall authority for

leading the personnel under his/her
administration. He reviews the
guidance and counseling program they
offer each year. To be a guidance
director, one should possess the
following: strong work ethic, excellent
organizational skills, flexibility, ease
and experience with computers and
willingness to coordinate efforts with
others.

2. Guidance Counselor
A guidance counselor assists people with personal, family, educational, mental health
and career decisions and problems. He provides options that will help the client to
resolve his/her problems. Its overall function is to talk to students, provide options, listen
to problems, help the students to develop coping skills and learn to solve problems and
become a good decision maker on their own.

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Counseling services includes:

● Individual Counseling
● Group Counseling
● Group Guidance
● Student Appraisal
● Referral
● Consultation
● Coordination

Common Problems of Students Bring to Counseling Sessions

● Conflict with others

● Conflict with self
● Lack of information about self
● Lack of information about the environment
● Lack of skill

Attitude and skills of the counselor are very important to the quality of the counseling
relationship. The qualities of an effective counselor are the following:

● Intellectual competence

● Energy

● Flexibility

● Support

● Good Will

● Self – awareness

3. Psychometrician
The one who develops a test is called a psychometrician,
while the one that conducts testing services is called a
psychometrist. A psychometrician has the following
responsibilities;

● Identifies and selects tests

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 ● Sets the schedule of testing services
● Administers, collects
● and interprets test results
● Provides counselors with test results
● Encodes and makes summaries of test results
● Prepares testing materials
● Keeps test materials and test results

4. Researcher
He designs, formulates and conducts research projects.
He manages, collects and analyzes information and
organizes data which are presented in oral and written
form. The researcher has the following functions:

● Applying a variety of research techniques to gather

relevant information, including document analysis,
surveys, case studies and interviews;
● Preparing and reporting findings and disseminating
results, both orally and in writing; and
● Offering research – based briefings and advice,
which may involve writing action plans.

5. Guidance Secretary
He/she organized things for people in the office. He/she may also be called as executive
secretary or administrative assistant. The following are the functions of the guidance
secretary:

● Makes appointments;
● Put files in order;
● Write letters and answers the phone;
● Schedule travel plans;
● Make sure that the information that leaves the office is right;
● Some make reports and train others

Auxiliary Personnel
1. Psychologist
Studies the human mind and behavior

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Psychologist’s Areas of Specialization
a. Clinical Psychologist
Aims to reduce psychological distress and enhance and promote psychological
well-being.

b. Counseling Psychologist
Assesses and evaluates individuals’ problems, through the use of case history,
interview, and observation and provides individual or group counseling services to assist
individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational and vocational
development and adjustment.

c. School Psychologist
Provides a broad range of skills to address students’ needs in a variety of areas.
Expert in special education and have large role in the eligibility process for special
education

d. Developmental Psychologist
Explores the influence of nature vs. nurture
2. Psychiatrist
Assesses and treats mental illnesses through a combination of psychotherapy,
psychoanalysis, hospitalization, and medication.

3. Social Worker
– Works with people who have socially excluded or who are experiencing crisis
and their role is to provide support to enable service users to help themselves.

ABSTRACTION

Using the word COUNSELOR as an acronym. Kindly indicate before each letter a
corresponding characteristic of the counselor. (Example: C-caring)

C-

O-

U-

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N-

S-

E-

L-

O-

R-

You are almost done!!!

Now that you know much about the roles, characteristics and functions of the
different guidance personnel, it would be very easy for you to accomplish the remaining
assessment in this module.

APPLICATION (Post – Test) Assess what you have learned. (Post – Test will be
administered on a later date) Final Requirement

Congratulations you are one step away from finishing this module. You have done so
much to come this far. As a final requirement, I want you to do the following: Write a
short reflection entitled: The Love of the Counselor….

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