
ERIC Number: EJ704654
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jun-1
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1096-2409
EISSN: N/A
Teach, but Don't Preach: Practical Guidelines for Addressing Spiritual Concerns of Students
Wolf, James T.
Professional School Counseling, v7 n5 p363 Jun 2004
Guidelines based on the American School Counselor Association's ethical codes and various social studies teaching techniques are presented for school counselors to use as they address the spiritual concerns of students. The role of the First Amendment in "spiritual" counseling in public schools and various multicultural considerations are explored as well. This article explores the practical challenges of counseling students with spiritual issues. To do so, the author draws upon the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA, 1998) Ethical Standards for School Counselors and certain teaching suggestions from the social science and history disciplines. Even though he uses the terms spirituality and religion throughout the article, they are not interchangeable concepts. In his view, spirituality in a general sense refers to "making sense of" and "giving meaning to the world," and how meaning is made; this process is different for each person. While spirituality might incorporate formal religious beliefs, it does not necessarily have to. When dealing with the spirituality of students, school counselors have to know the difference between teaching and preaching. As defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary (2003), teaching includes imparting knowledge and providing instruction. Preaching can be defined as follows: to urge the acceptance or advocate for an idea or a course of action.
Descriptors: School Counselors, School Counseling, Counseling Techniques, Counseling Theories, Guidelines, Religious Factors, Ethics, Cultural Awareness, Individual Differences, Religion
American School Counselors Association, 1101 King St., Suite 625, Alexandria, VA 22314. Web site: http://www.schoolcounselor.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Counselors
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: First Amendment
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A