School counselors must be familiar with community agencies in order to provide students in families with referrals for the assistance they may need. The ASCA national model indicate that referrals could include: academic support such as tutoring, websites for employment or college planning, personal/social development support such as mental health counseling for issues such as abuse, depression, anxiety, suicidal/homicidal ideation, etc. School counselors are often called on to act as advocates for families and thus must be familiar with all types of agencies in their communities.
Counselors must carefully explain the details of referral so that there is no confusion for the family and so that a lack of explanation does not create problems for the family or the school. This means being knowledgeable about how the community agency might interact with the family and explain that the school counselor’s role is limited; while they can make referrals for the family, the school will not be responsible for making appointments or paying for services. Counselors can make this discussion smoother by being familiar with the family’s needs (i.e. financial) and providing referrals to agencies that can accommodate them. Some agencies in the Muncie community used by school counselors:
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware County: academic and personal/social development