DESE School Counseling & Support Services 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school counselor is facilitating a classroom lesson on bullying prevention. Which delivery model does this represent?
- Individual counseling
- Small group counseling
- School counseling core curriculum (Correct answer)
- Crisis intervention
Correct answer: School counseling core curriculum
Classroom-based lessons delivered to all students constitute the school counseling core curriculum, which provides universal, preventative instruction.
Question 2: When a student's parent revokes consent for a student's special education services mid-year, the school counselor's role includes:
- Overriding the parental decision if the IEP team disagrees
- Informing the parent of the potential educational impact and documenting the revocation (Correct answer)
- Continuing services until the end of the school year regardless
- Immediately discontinuing all support services for the student
Correct answer: Informing the parent of the potential educational impact and documenting the revocation
Under IDEA, parents have the right to revoke consent for special education services; the school must inform parents of the educational implications and document the revocation in writing.
Question 3: Which counseling theory emphasizes identifying and challenging irrational beliefs that contribute to a student's emotional distress?
- Person-centered therapy
- Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) (Correct answer)
- Narrative therapy
- Play therapy
Correct answer: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
REBT, developed by Albert Ellis, focuses on identifying and disputing irrational beliefs (the ABC model) that cause emotional disturbance.
Question 4: A school counselor reviewing course enrollment data discovers that students of color are underrepresented in advanced coursework. The most appropriate systemic intervention is to:
- Advise students of color against advanced courses to prevent academic struggle
- Present disaggregated data to leadership and advocate for equitable access to rigorous coursework (Correct answer)
- Assume underrepresentation reflects student choice and take no action
- Create a separate advanced track exclusively for underrepresented students
Correct answer: Present disaggregated data to leadership and advocate for equitable access to rigorous coursework
School counselors use disaggregated data to identify opportunity gaps and advocate systemically for equitable access to rigorous academic pathways for all students.
Question 5: A student experiencing a panic attack arrives at the counselor's office. The immediate crisis intervention priority is to:
- Explore the underlying psychological causes of the anxiety disorder
- Provide a calm environment and guide the student through grounding or breathing techniques (Correct answer)
- Administer a mental health screening tool while the student is in distress
- Contact parents before providing any calming support
Correct answer: Provide a calm environment and guide the student through grounding or breathing techniques
Immediate crisis intervention for panic attacks involves de-escalation through a calm environment and grounding or breathing techniques before any assessment or parent contact.
Question 6: The concept of 'warm handoff' in school counseling refers to:
- Transferring student records electronically between schools
- Directly introducing a student to a community mental health provider to facilitate the referral (Correct answer)
- Providing a student with a list of outside resources and letting them follow up independently
- Having a teacher escort a student to the counselor's office
Correct answer: Directly introducing a student to a community mental health provider to facilitate the referral
A warm handoff involves the school counselor personally introducing and connecting a student to a community provider, increasing the likelihood that the student follows through with outside services.
Question 7: Which Massachusetts law requires schools to have a plan for addressing bullying, including cyberbullying, and designates specific staff responsibilities?
- Chapter 71B (Special Education Law)
- Chapter 71 Section 37O (Anti-Bullying Law) (Correct answer)
- Chapter 119 (Child Protective Services)
- Chapter 76 (School Attendance Law)
Correct answer: Chapter 71 Section 37O (Anti-Bullying Law)
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 37O requires all public schools to implement a bullying prevention and intervention plan covering cyberbullying, with defined staff roles.
DESE School Counseling & Support Services 5
A school counselor is facilitating a classroom lesson on bullying prevention.
Which delivery model does this represent?