Counseling Office Student Assistant Expectations

Do you use office assistants in your office? If yes, here is a template that can be crafted/adapted for your school to use to let the assistants know what is expected of them. This is provided courtesy of Brittanie Davis, a Counselor in Indiana.

Thank you for your willingness to serve as an assistant in the counseling office. Our office could not function without you! You provide such a valuable service to the counseling staff that ultimately also benefits our students and entire staff. As you are probably aware, there is A LOT that happens in the counseling office. Following these expectations will allow all of us to have the best experience possible!

Confidentiality and Appropriate Conversations
- Confidentiality is of the utmost importance! By being in the counseling office, you may see or overhear things that should remain confidential. All conversations you overhear are strictly confidential and may not be discussed – failure to comply will result in immediate removal as an assistant.
- Assistants are expected to keep conversations appropriate while in the office.
- You may not discuss which students were seen in the counseling office with any other students.
- No video recording, taking pictures, etc. unless for a specific task in the counseling office is permitted as this can jeopardize others’ rights to confidentiality.
Delivering Passes
- Wear assistant badge when not in office
- Check for passes at start of period
  - Wait until bell rings before leaving to deliver passes
  - Leave within first 3 minutes to deliver passes, unless asked to stay
  - If a student is absent, please take pass to counselor and put on door (write “absent” or “abs” on pass and give back to counselor or place in door mailbox, if busy)
Greeting/assisting students and parents
- When a student enters, make sure they have a pass and ask who they are here to see.
  - Go check with that staff member to see if they are ready for a student
    - If you know the counselor has someone in their office already, ask the student to wait until the staff member is available
  - Only students with a white pass should be waiting for a counselor
    - If a student is here without a pass, tell them they have to have a pass to be seen
    - If the student insists on being seen without a pass, get Secretary’s assistance or ask the staff member they are requesting to see if they are available
- If Secretary is not here and an adult enters, greet them and ask them if you can help them
  - Get a staff to help you with the adult after you have greeted them and asked what they need help with
- If counselors are in a meeting with staff and someone comes for them with a pass, it is okay to knock on the door to let them know
  - If the counselor is in a meeting that is NOT in the office and you don’t know where they are, allow the student to wait for no more than 10 minutes
  - If the counselor does not return within 10 minutes, tell the student to return to class – write the student’s name on a piece of paper with a note saying they were here and clip it to the counselor’s door
Completing Tasks
- Check with Secretary to see if any tasks need completed and ask for directions from where previous period left off
- If there is a task assigned, you are expected to get it done ASAP
- If it is not done your period, leave notes for the following period so they can continue
- If you need to work on homework, please let Secretary know so that we can arrange for the task to get done
General Guidelines and Grade Expectations
- If the counselor has their door shut, never interrupt unless there is an emergency
- Please refrain from using the refrigerator and microwave – students should not be in the break room area since many counselors often use this space to counsel students.
- Grades will be checked at the end of each nine weeks and semester. Students failing one or more required classes will be removed from the assistant position and will be placed back into study hall. After all, what kind of counselors would we be if we weren’t making sure you were on track to graduate. 🙂