About BSCA
Registration & Incorporation
Belize School Counsellor Association (BSCA) was registered and incorporated as a limited liability company pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000 on August 13, 2012. Shortly thereafter BSCA held its first Annual General Meeting on October 20, 2012 during which the first Executive Committee was elected.
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Mission Statement
The mission of Belize School Counsellor Association (BSCA) is to represent, support, and develop professional school counsellors in Belize and to encourage efficient delivery of counselling services both at educational institutions and in the wider society.
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Purpose
BSCA is a professional organization whose objectives are to facilitate the following:
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History
In 1992, Elizabeth Goff, M.Ed.1 and Licia Castillo, M.A.2 were two of the first practicing school counsellors in Belize. They dreamed of having a school counselling association but since there were too few of them they joined the Student Assistance Programme (SAP) movement under Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) Belize and later the National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDCACC). Despite being apart of this movement, they did not give up on the dream of organizing themselves into an association.
Some years later in 2004, they invited school counsellors from all over the country to a meeting. The letter to school counsellors read
This initial meeting was held at Wesley College on Tuesday, November 16, 2004, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. What an exciting day that was as counsellors from all over the country met to discuss the formation of an association and also to engage in professional development.
A year later, on Tuesday, December 6, 2005, school counsellors met again at Wesley College from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. They participated in a workshop on “Implementing Comprehensive School Counselling Programmes”, building on what they had started the year before. All six (6) Districts were represented, with about 27 persons present. Through the Ministry of Education’s Quality Assurance and Development Services (QADS), they were able to get six (6) Continuous Professional Development (CPD) clock hour credits awarded to all who participated. School counsellors were again invited to a professional development activity when Dr. Kristin Russell, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, visited Belize on personal business and offered her services through the Mental Health Association (MHA). The two-hour workshop, held on Friday, April 18, 2008, focused on the topic, “Common Mental Health Disorders Among Adolescents”. Unfortunately, in spite of activities in the early years, they were unable to sustain their efforts. In October 2009 a small but dedicated group of school counsellors began meeting on almost a monthly basis to continue the work of forming an association for all school counsellors in Belize. They were inspired by Dr. Shirlene Smith3, a Belizean Counsellor Educator living and working in the United States, during a training session that she facilitated earlier that year. She brought to their attention that the only association that existed at that time was for school counsellors working in Catholic schools - Belize Catholic Association of School Counsellors. As Elizabeth Goff, M.Ed. and Licia Castillo, M.A. had both been part of a similar organization that had lost its momentum some years back, they provided the information about what needed to be accomplished. Within the first year, a mission, vision, and ethics statement had been culled by adapting materials from the American School Counselor Association, the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors, and others. As time progressed a Constitution was drafted and edited and edited and edited. All the while, the group continued to meet and share ideas and resources. One highlight of the group was meeting the Executive Director of the American School Counselor Association, Richard Wong, on his visit to Belize in April 2010. Mr. Wong encouraged the BSCA in its continued development. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment to date has been the inclusion of BSCA's recommendation for separate Continued Professional Development offerings for school counsellors. The first of which began in August 2011. The following year on August 13, 2012, BSCA was registered and incorporated as a limited liability company. Shortly thereafter BSCA held its first Annual General Meeting on October 20, 2012 during which the first Executive Committee was elected. Many thanks go out to following people who were instrumental in the organization and development of BSCA
1. Elizabeth Goff, M.Ed., School Counsellor at Wesley College High School, 1992 - 2016 2. Licia Castillo, M.A., School Counsellor at Saint Catherine Academy, 1992 - 2003 2. Licia Castillo, M.A., School Counsellor at Orange Walk Technical High School, 2003 - Present 3. Shirlene Coopwood, Ph.D., North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University Counseling Department 3. Shirlene Coopwood, Ph.D., - Assistant Professor, 2008 - 2015 3. Shirlene Coopwood, Ph.D., - Associate Professor, 2015 - present 4. Arlette Sheppard, MSW., Counsellor at Ministry of Education's Cayo District Education Center, 2009 - 2011 4. Arlette Sheppard, MSW., Technical Advisor/Health Education Officer in Ministry of Health, 2011 - 2015 4. Arlette Sheppard, MSW., Social Development Officer at Belize Social Investment Fund, 2016 - Present 5. Caryl Brannon, M.Ed., Teacher/Counsellor for Government Primary Schools Belize District, 2010 - 2021 5. Caryl Brannon, M.Ed., Counsellor at Monarch Counselling & Consulting, 2021 - present |
References:
Goff, E. (2019). "History of the Belize School Counsellor Association". 2 Oct 2019.
Wentz, S. R. (2012). "Welcome address". Speech Delivered at Belize School Counsellor Association
Annual General Meeting, Belize City, 20 Oct 2012.
Goff, E. (2019). "History of the Belize School Counsellor Association". 2 Oct 2019.
Wentz, S. R. (2012). "Welcome address". Speech Delivered at Belize School Counsellor Association
Annual General Meeting, Belize City, 20 Oct 2012.