The
delivery system is the best seen component of the ASCA national model. Delivery
includes all of the tasks school counselors ‘do’; going into classrooms for
psycho-educational lesson, leading small groups, and individual counseling
sessions, as well as meetings with parents and teachers all fall into this
category. Referrals, consultation, and collaboration also fall into the
delivery system. A reason that this component can seem to overshadow the rest
is that ASCA recommends that 80 percent of a school counselor’s time be spent in
delivery of direct and indirect services to students. This is not always
possible, but it is certainly a target to be consistently strived for.
There are two main parts of a
delivery system: the direct services and the indirect services. Direct services
deliver the core curriculum to students through classroom psycho-educational
lessons, large group assemblies, small group instruction/counseling, and other
group activities, such as field trips. School counselors can facilitate college
visits, career fairs, workshops, teambuilding events, and much more under
direct services as well. Counselors also work directly with individual
students. They assist in helping students plan for the future and make
decisions based on their development across the three core areas: academics,
college/career readiness, and personal/social. Counselors also provide
responsive services to students through short-term, focused, goal-oriented
counseling and crisis intervention. When students need therapy or more
long-term counseling than the school counselor can provide, it is appropriate
for the counselor to make referrals out to community resources. Indirect services include making those
community referrals, which requires counselors to know the community and make
connections, as well as, consulting and collaborating with other stakeholders.
Counselors work with other school counselors, educators, parents, and community
members to provide holistic and equitable services to all the students they
serve.
The delivery system accounts for 80
percent of a school counselor’s time which can make it seem like the most
important component of the ASCA national model, but without a solid foundation,
proper and healthy program management, and accountability through evaluation,
collaboration, and analysis, the delivery system will be meaningless and
useless.