Paper prepared by; Tom Geary & Jennifer Liston, University of Limerick, Ireland IAEVG Conference

Today's Presentation  Background  Literature Review  Methodology  Findings  Next phase of Research  Questions

 …is to ensure that the guidance counsellor graduate diploma at the University of Limerick is providing quality graduates to practice as guidance counsellors in the Irish secondary education system and adult guidance services.

 National guidance forum report lists, under the suggestions for improvement in Guidance Services in Ireland to, "Ensure that people working in guidance are well-trained and supported, with proper quality assurance procedures in place." (National Guidance Forum Report, 2007 p.34)

National Development of Guidance and Counselling The Education Act 1998 section 9 (c) states that a school shall use its available resources to, ...ensure that students have access to appropriate guidance to assist them in their educational and career choices

Ireland’s Role in EU Guidance Policy  During the Irish Presidency of the EU in 2004, the first Education Council Resolution on guidance was ratified. Five key areas were identified for attention: Implementing lifelong guidance systems Broadening access to guidance Strengthening quality assurance mechanisms Strengthening citizens’ competencies to manage their careers and learning Strengthening policies and systems development structures at national and regional levels

Key Policy Documents  Education Act (1998)  The White Paper on Adult Education Learning for Life (2000)  Establishment of National Guidance Forum (2004)  Department of Education and Science (2006) Review of Guidance in Second Level Schools, Dublin: Government Publications  The OECD Review of Career Guidance Policies, Ireland: Country Note, 2002.

National Professional Body; Institute for Guidance Counsellors (IGC) National Government Agency; National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) NCGE, set up in 1995 An agency of the Department of Education and Science To support and develop guidance practice in all areas of education and to inform policy IGC, established in 1968 Liaison and advocacy role with government Sets the standards & Continuing Professional Development for guidance counsellors.

KnowledgeSkills Development Field Practice Role and functions of the guidance counsellor Career development and the nature of work The Psychology of Human Development and Behaviour Counselling theory Professional issues Multicultural, Special Educational needs and equality issues Guidance programme planning/ Whole school planning Guidance skills development Counselling skills development Experiential group work Psychometric testing Information management and systems Personal growth/development, which should include personal counselling. Guidance practice and supervision. Counselling practice and supervision. Appropriate placements

The Role of The Guidance Counsellor ◦ Counselling ◦ Support ◦ Assessment ◦ Information ◦ Classroom Guidance Activities ◦ Planning and organising workshop learning ◦ Referrals ◦ Professional Development (National Centre for Guidance in Education, 2004)

 The Irish guidance counselling service tends to be a compromise between the American model which emphasises personal counselling and the European model which almost exclusively focuses on the narrower concept of career guidance. (Ryan, 1993) Irish Student’s Perspectives on Guidance Provision;  Students were fairly evenly divided between those who expressed qualified satisfaction with existing provision and those who were generally dissatisfied. (McCoy et al, 2006) Literature Review

 Schools varied widely in the nature of the guidance counsellors role. (McCoy et al, 2006)  The priorities that guidance workers attach to their work tasks appear more a function of the particular type of training they have undertaken. They may not necessarily be a function of the client’s needs. (McCarthy, 2001)

Cont… “Across countries there is wide variation on who decides the content and methodology of initial training for guidance workers” (McCarthy, 2001) Who Decides on the Programme? Course Director Professional Association Government

 Any attempt to shape the field of CG by identifying what qualities and traits CG practitioners should aspire to develop, and what training programmes can do in order to promote the development of such traits, should be mindful of the complex and contested issues that surround the endeavour. (Sultana, 2009 Mixed method approach,  To explore different level of the same phenomena (Todd et al, 2004) Phase 1; Unstructured conversations, Document search and Personal Narratives from the course directors.

Course Director Personal Narrative Document Search Unstructured Conversations

Emerging Themes from Course Directors Personal Narrative; Theme 1; Top-down Influences  UL; The course is affirmed by The Institute of Guidance Counsellor’s requirements in both content and duration of the counselling theory and skills, experiential group work and professional issues of any emerging programme.

 Derby; I developed an interest in quality issues and got involved in the pilot for the Guidance Council Quality Standards when they were being developed in  UL; I had worked for a year on the National Executive of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors during which time the Executive drafted and published a document mapping out the specific role and functions of the Guidance Counsellor and the Guidance Service within second level education. Theme 2; Background in National Quality Standards Development

 UL; Discussed how Dr. Bill Law discussed the influence of the course director, He discussed with me how the professional development of Course Directors has a very strong influence on the type of programmes which they develop, lead and teach on. This came as no surprise to me as I know that I was “playing” to my professional strengths.  UL; The work of Carl Rogers in particular influenced me deeply. His focus on the quality of relationships with people which includes, empathy, non-judgmental positive regard and genuineness were conditions for helping others.

 Derby; I had the opportunity to get involved in training voluntary and community advice workers, I spent the year travelling around the Black Country working in lots of estates and training providers supporting practitioners to understand and develop their adult guidance skills. It was this experience which probably had the most profound effect as I became and still am passionate about professional development for practitioners. I worked with some practitioners on very poor estates who were barely literate but we were able to work through and get them a qualification.

Theme 4; Contrasting Backgrounds, Coherent Aim!  UL; Students on the Graduate Diploma in Guidance Counselling are both challenged in their thinking processes as well as in their interpersonal and intrapersonal domains of learning.  Derby; We want our students to be critical thinkers who can challenge from an informed and considered perspective.

Ireland Course Director & Professional Association UK Course Director, Professional Association & Government

Fragmentation

 Using a common framework across countries will promote a common way of viewing career-life development and a common way of describing the types of competencies needed to deliver quality educational and vocational guidance services. (Repetto 2008) The Challenge!

Back-ward Mapping  Back-ward mapping assumes essentially that the closer one is to the source of the problem the greater is one’s ability to influence it. (Elmore, 1994) Who Decides on the Programme? Informed Course Director Supportive Professional Association Government

Course Director National Professional Body International and National Policy

The Next Phase;  Phase 2; Questionnaires to all graduates of the UL programme to explore career paths, the roles they provide to the guidance service and the continuing professional development needs they have. By doing this it is hoped to review the University of Limerick programme,  To enhance the programme where necessary.  To have an international dimension to the programme where appropriate.

Jennifer Liston FG145 Foundation Building, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. ;