Service Learning for Counselors: Integrating Education, Training, and the Community

Abstract

Service learning integrates classroom instruction with community service to augment learning. This method of instruction facilitates humanistic counseling skills by enhancing counselor awareness and knowledge of unique needs and strengths of diverse peoples while promoting personal, social, civic, and professional responsibility. This article describes applications of service learning for counseling students and professionals.

The Professional Identity of School Counselors

“…This finding is supported in other research on service-learning (Alvarado & Gonzalez, 2012;Burnett et al, 2005). In the present example, even though the service experience at Empower was not held in a formal counseling setting, students reported using their counseling skills to work with clients, establish relationships, and enhance their work.…”

“…Data were collected on students' experiences engaging in the assignment in order to answer the question: What are the experiences of preservice school counselors engaging in pre-practicum service-learning? The experience was designed through utilizing current literature on counseling and service-learning as an empirically based approach to help students connect their coursework to real world settings (Arman & Scherer, 2002;Baggerly, 2006;Barbee, Scherer & Combs, 2003;Burnett et al, 2005;Jett et al, 2009;Ockerman & Mason, 2012)..…”

“…Prepracticum, however, can offer an academically oriented service-learning opportunity for students prior to beginning their work in practicum and internship (Burnett, et al, 2005;Woodside, Oberman, Cole, & Carruth, 2007). For example, a course integrating a service-learning experience may require students to maintain logs of their hours and on-site activities site, keep a reflective journal, and complete a paper reacting to their service-learning experience overall (Burnett et al, 2005;Hansen, 2012).…”

Exploring Different Perspectives on Limitations and Promises of Service-Learning as an Innovative Pedagogy: Review of Literature

“…Many studies have termed service-learning as an important initiative for the academic, citizenship and social development of students (Kaye, 2004;Burnett et al, 2005;Baggerly, 2006;Goodman & West-Olatunji, 2007). Servicelearning is different from community service or volunteerism.…”

“…Servicelearning is different from community service or volunteerism. The true nature of service-learning is that it is a unique pedagogy because it stresses on reciprocity in learning and practice rather than theory (Kaye, 2004;Burnett et al, 2005). The term service-learning is defined as a credit bearing educational experience in which students: (a) participate in an organized service-activity that meets identified human and community needs; (b) reflect and reciprocate on the service activity in such a way to gain further understanding of course content, and broader appreciation of the discipline; and (c) an enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility (Bringle & Hatcher, 1996).…”