COUNSELING SERVICES IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS: BASIS FOR A SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAM

Abstract

Abstract: The main purpose of this study was to determine the counseling services offered in public secondary schools in Pangasinan which served as the basis for the development of a well-being program for learners. Survey questionnaires were given to 179 guidance personnel and 383 Grade 10 learners in Pangasinan. This determined the level of implementation, the level of acceptability, and the degrees of seriousness of the problems encountered in the implementation of counseling services. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, mean, and percentage were employed in the study. Furthermore, inferential statistics such as Pearson r product-moment correlation, and eta correlation were utilized to investigate the relationship between the variables.

The results revealed a high level of implementation of the counseling services particularly in crisis intervention and career counseling while a low level of implementation in group and family counseling. On the other hand, personal/social counseling and family counseling were highly accepted while group and academic counseling were less accepted services. Role conflict and limited training are the major challenges impacting counseling services. There are negligible relationships between staffing levels and counseling service implementation while rural schools face more challenges in effective implementation.

Also, counseling service acceptability was not significantly influenced by staffing levels or student population size. There is a moderately negative correlation between implementation level and acceptability. This illustrated the need to bridge the gap between implemented services and student expectations to enhance service effectiveness and acceptability. Modify counseling services based on school profiles and specific needs and consider factors beyond staffing levels to optimize service acceptability and effectiveness. Finally, the results of the study were used as the basis for the well-being program designed for the learners.