What constitutes direct student services according to the ASCA National Model?

Direct student services, as outlined by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, include activities that directly involve students and directly impact their learning, emotional, and social development. Individual counseling and classroom counseling lessons are prime examples of these direct services.

In individual counseling, the school counselor works one-on-one with students to address personal, social, academic, or career-related issues, providing tailored support that directly responds to the needs of the student. Classroom counseling lessons further extend this support by delivering programming in a group setting, which helps to provide all students with essential skills and knowledge related to personal and academic development.

The other options, while important to a school counselor's role, do not fall under direct student services. Consultation and collaboration with teachers, for example, supports the counseling program indirectly by fostering a supportive environment for students but does not involve direct engagement with them. Annual performance appraisals and the management of the school counseling program are administrative tasks that guide and evaluate counseling efforts but do not include direct student interaction. Thus, individual counseling and classroom counseling lessons are rightly identified as direct student services.