Comment: Denice Hood offers one example of application of educational psychology to counseling in college. What kinds of supplementary supports do learners need?

For starters, learners definitely need academic support. There are numerous ways educators can provide academic support to their students. One way is to give assistance after school (i.e. tutoring). Another form of assistance can be seen in language proficiency, which is known as ESL/EAL/ELD where students receive additional help in learning English.

Then there’s physical, mental, and health support. Obviously these support are an additional cost to the education department and will need the aid of the government to provide the necessary funding to cover these costs. “The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students.”

Here is a statement on the affects of NCLB act and how it has supported students with disabilities:

The National Council on Disability (NCD) looks at how NCLB and IDEA are improving outcomes for students with Down syndrome. The effects they investigate include reducing the number of students who drop out, increasing graduation rates, and effective strategies to transition students to post-secondary education. Their studies have reported that NCLB and IDEA have changed the attitudes and expectations for students with disabilities. They are pleased that students are finally included in state assessment and accountability systems. NCLB made assessments be taken "seriously," they found, as now assessments and accommodations are under review by administrators.

On the flip side, support should not be limited to students who need a helping hand. Those students who are academically far superior than their peers should also receive supplementary support so that their potentials are not limited.

What are the purposes, methods and roles of counseling psychologists as they address the needs of learners?

On YouTube there is a video that talks about the meaning, definition, and explanation of counseling psychology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQpWvRuE_qY

According to this video, counseling psychology is: a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied work in several broad domains: counseling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counseling; and prevention and health. Some unifying themes among counseling psychologists include a focus on assets and strengths, person–environment interactions, educational and career development, brief interactions, and a focus on intact personalities.

Counseling psychologists are interested in answering a variety of research questions about counseling process and outcome. Counseling process refers to how or why counseling happens and progresses. Counseling outcome addresses whether or not counseling is effective, under what conditions it is effective, and what outcomes are considered effective—such as symptom reduction, behavior change, or quality of life improvement. Topics commonly explored in the study of counseling process and outcome including therapist variables, client variables, the counseling or therapeutic relationship, cultural variables, process and outcome measurement, mechanisms of change, and process and outcome research methods. Classic approaches appeared early in the US in the field of humanistic psychology by Carl Rogers who identified the mission of counseling interview as "to permit deeper expression that the client would ordinarily allow himself."

Make an Update: Identify and describe an educational counseling need or practice of interest or relevance to you.

An educator by the name of Rita Pierson was on TED Talk giving a speech about the power of positively influencing students as a teacher. This is the video from her TED Talk speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw&list=PLmia-k8IQe2xliH2Z8sX9K-LhzBVhAF5E

As a teacher, I’ve always stressed the importance of having a positive impact on my students. Rita Pierson mentioned about grading a student’s paper where the student had 18 of the 20 questions wrong. Instead of placing focus on the bad test result, she put a +2 and a smiley face on the student’s test paper. A little gesture as such goes a long way in how students perceive their teachers and how they approach learning. We will sometimes hear teachers say their job is to teach the subject/lesson, their job is not to be liked by the students. However, very little is being absorbed in the lesson by the student if there’s a negative vibe between the student and teacher. No one enjoys doing something they dread, especially when you can’t see the positive outcome. Hence, as educators , we should have in place positive learning environment and connect with students on a personal level in that students feel you care about them and it’s not just a tedious job and obligation you have.

Reference:

https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/learning-support/28139

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act