Circular 31/2017/TT-BGDDT on psychological counseling for students of general education schools

CIRCULAR

Providing guidance on psychological counseling for students of general education schools

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 123/2016/ND-CP dated September 01, 2012, defining the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structures of ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 69/2017/ND-CP dated May 25, 2017, defining functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 80/2017/ND-CP dated July 17, 2017, providing regulations on safe, healthy, friendly, and non-violent education environment;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 1501/QD-TTg dated August 28, 2015, on approving the Scheme on “strengthening the education of revolutionary ideal, ethics and lifestyle for the youths, teenagers and children in the 2015 - 2020 period”;

At the proposal of the Director of the Political Education and Pupil and Student Affairs Department;

The Minister of Education and Training hereby promulgates the Circular providing guidance on psychological counseling for students of general education schools.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of regulation and subjects of application

1. This Circular prescribes purposes, principles, content, forms, and assurance conditions, and organization of the provision of psychological counseling for students of general education schools.

2. This Circular applies to students, managers, teachers, psychological counselors, and staff of general education institutions at primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels, continuing education institutions, and vocational education institutions teaching lower secondary and upper secondary programs (hereinafter referred to as general education schools) and relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Article 2. Interpretation of terms

1. Psychological counseling for students means psychological support, helping students improve their understanding of themselves, their family situations, and social relationships, thereby increasing positive emotions and making decisions on their own upon facing difficulties while studying at schools.

2. Psychology advising for students means the interaction, psychological assistance, and intervention (when necessary) by officers, and counselors towards students facing difficulties in terms of studying, family situations, relationships with others, or understanding of themselves, thereby increasing positive emotions, choosing and making decisions in such situations.

Article 3. Purposes of the psychological counseling for students

1. To prevent, assist and intervene (when necessary) students facing psychological difficulties in studying and life in order to find out appropriate solutions to minimize negative impacts; contribute to creating a safe, healthy, friendly, and non-violent education environment.

2. To support students in training their living skills; improving their wills, confidence, bravery, and attitudes in social relationships; improving their physical and spiritual health, contributing to forming and perfecting their dignity.

Article 4. Principles of implementation

1. To ensure the close coordination among school forces and parents or lawful guardians of students (hereinafter referred to as student parents) and forces outside schools that are involved in psychological counseling for students.

2. To ensure the students' rights to participate in, voluntarily, and autonomously make decisions and information confidentiality in psychological counseling in accordance with law provisions.

Chapter II

CONTENTS AND FORMS OF PROVIDING PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING FOR STUDENTS

Article 5. Contents

1. Counseling about age, gender, marriage, family, and adolescent reproductive health in compliance with students’ ages.

2. Counseling and educating cultural sensitivity measures and skills to prevent violence, harming, and develop a safe, healthy, and friendly education environment.

3. Counseling to improve the capacity of responding and solving problems arising in relationships with families, teachers, friendships, and other social relationships.

4. Counseling effective learning methods and skills, career orientation (depending on grades).

5. Psychological counseling for students facing difficulties who need timely assistance, intervention, and solution. Introducing and supporting in sending students suffering psychological disorders that are beyond the school counseling ability to establishments or psychologists.

Article 6. Forms of implementation

1. Developing subjects on psychological counseling for students in a separate lecture or including them in class meetings or school assemblies. Organizing and teaching integrated contents of psychological counseling for students in curricular subjects and experience and extracurricular activities.

2. Organizing specialized talks, extracurricular activities, clubs, and forums on topics related to the contents to be counseled for students.

3. Establishing an information channel to provide documents, regularly exchange with student parents of the psychological development and issues to be counseled for students.

4. Advising and counseling by person-to-person or in a group, directly at the counseling room or online via the internal network, school website, email, social network, telephone, and other mass media.

5. Coordinating with relevant organizations and individuals in organizing activities to provide psychological counseling for students.

Article 7. Coordination in psychological counseling

1. Coordination in the school

Officers and teachers in charge of psychological counseling for students shall closely coordinate with form teachers, General Manager of Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, subject teachers, and other educational forces in the school upon deploying psychological counseling activities for students.

2. Coordination among the school and others

a) Coordination with student parents: Regularly exchange information about students; raise student parents’ awareness about age-specific psychophysiological development and the impact of those changes on students; regularly pay attention to, detect and take timely and appropriate support measures for abnormal expressions of students.

b) Coordination with experts, psychological counseling centers, health establishments, judicial and law enforcement agencies to provide psychotherapy and timely handle students requiring special intervention;

c) Coordination with agencies, organizations related to psychology and education sciences, eligible schools of education, experts, and scientists to foster teachers and counselors in terms of knowledge, skills, attitude necessary to perform psychological counseling and advising works in the school;

d) Coordination with Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Ho Chi Minh Pioneers’ Organization and other socio-political organizations to organize psychological counseling activities;

dd) Coordination with functional individuals, agencies, and organizations to organize psychological counseling activities according to the students’ needs and schools’ educational requirements.

Chapter III

CONDITIONS FOR ENSURING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING FOR STUDENTS

Article 8. Personnel and organization

1. The school shall establish a counseling team and appoint officers and teachers to concurrently be in charge of psychological counseling for students. Members of the counseling team: Representative of the school leaders shall act as the head of the team; other members include officers and teachers concurrently in charge of psychological counseling, health staff, officers, and teachers in charge of activities related to Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, representatives of student parents and a number of students who are classroom monitors and students in charge of activities related to Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

2. Officers and teachers concurrently providing counseling for students must be experienced and trained in professional psychology and professional psychology (have a professional certificate in school psychology counseling according to the program issued by the Ministry of Education and Training). Teachers who are concurrently providing psychological counseling are entitled to a reduction in teaching hours according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 9. School facilities and funding

1. The school shall arrange a separate psychological counseling room (primary schools may arrange a counseling room or corner depending on their size and conditions) to ensure the privacy, accessibility, and appropriateness for the counseling; equip physical foundations, equipment, materials, and documents necessary for the counseling.

2. Funding for psychological counseling:

a) Frequent expenditures of the school;

b) Aids and supports from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals in accordance with law provisions;

c) Other lawful revenues.

3. Funding for psychological counseling shall be managed and used properly in accordance with law provisions.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

Article 10. Responsibility of school principals

1. To establish a counseling team; to prescribe functions, tasks, and mechanisms for coordination, direction, and formulation of plans and organizations of psychological counseling activities for students.

2. To survey, develop initial psychological data for students at the beginning of each training level; to classify, monitor, and update regularly students' psychological characteristics and development.

3. To conduct preliminary and final reviews and report to the immediate superior management agency periodically for each academic year.

Article 11. Responsibility of education and training institutions, education, and training divisions

1. To direct and organize the implementation of this Circular at schools under the management.

2. To guide, examine and supervise the psychological counseling at schools under the management.

3. To research and advise People's Committees at all levels on relevant regimes and policies to support and encourage officers and teachers concurrently providing psychological counseling to perform psychological counseling work in accordance with local socio-economic conditions.

4. To regularly organize fostering and professional training in student psychology counseling for officers and teachers concurrently providing psychological counseling, specialized contracts for psychological counseling work, and officers in charge of activities related to Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, form teachers and other members shall conduct psychological counseling in the school.

5. To organize preliminary and final reviews and report to the immediate superior management agency periodically for each academic year or make irregular reports on the implementation of this Circular in schools under the management.

Article 12. Responsibility of units under the Ministry of Education and Training

1. The Political Education and Pupil and Student Affairs Department shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant units in, advising and directing the implementation, inspection, and supervision of the implementation of this Circular by the Departments of Education and Training associated with the implementation of political education tasks and student work every year; periodically organize preliminary and final reviews of psychological counseling work for students in general education schools. To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Agency of Teachers and Education Administrators in, directing and inspecting professional training and granting certificates of professional training in school psychology counseling.

2. The Primary Education Department, the Secondary Education Department, and the Continuing Education Department shall coordinate with relevant units in guiding the teaching and integrating the contents to be consulted for students into their subjects and educational activities of schools and other related issues of this Circular under their management.

3. The Agency of Teachers and Education Administrators shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant units and agencies in, developing training programs for teachers who provide psychological counseling for students in general education schools.

Article 13. Responsibility of higher education institutions providing specialized training in educational psychology

1. To organize surveys and develop training plans and teaching content on psychological counseling for students to effectively serve the needs of localities and education institutions.

2. To develop documents and organize training courses, issue certificates of professional training in school psychology counseling for officers and teachers of high schools if eligible.

Article 14. Effect and responsibility for implementation

1. This Circular takes effect on February 02, 2018.

2. People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, education and training institutions, higher education institutions providing specialized training in educational psychology, and relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training shall implement this Circular.