Student Counseling Sessions

The purpose of this page is to share some experiences and encounters counselors have had, to help one prepare and consider beforehand how you might set the stage for student counseling appointments in the facility; it further offers suggestions and considerations for educational planning and achievement so that students can be set up for success.

Counseling sessions typically take place in common spaces (housing units/classrooms) throughout the facility, with little to no privacy from other students/staff. Holding our attention to the student during the session can be challenging depending on other activities going on around the facility. If possible reposition chairs or tables to create a working space. Ideally you are sitting next to or across from the student to create an interpersonal space. Students might be hesitant to approach and you may need to invite them in the space or allow for more space. Similar to any counseling session on the outside, open with a conversation. Ask the student how they’re doing and check in to ensure you’re using their preferred name. Try to avoid asking for the student’s ID # at the beginning of the session. Incarcerated students are bombarded with identity checks and further perpetuating the symbolism of assigned numbers to identity can be triggering.

If you are meeting with a new student, provide a brief overview of what your role is as their counselor and the services you can provide to them and the times and days you’re available at the prison. Depending on the facility, your session time may be limited to 15-30 minutes per student. Students may be pre-scheduled or arrive on a drop-in basis, or a mixture of both. For pre-scheduled sessions, prepare and print as much information as you can before arriving at the facility.

There will be no internet access inside the facility but you may be able to bring a laptop for note taking/data storage. Try to prepare as many paper based resources as you can (printed college catalog, matriculation guides, transcript request forms, blank student education plans, etc.).

Documenting your interactions with each student is vital. Notes would include: name (preferred name), date, and student ID and notes about any follow up materials the student may need. If student sessions are drop-ins, create a sign in sheet to document how many students were seen. Your program/department will need these notes for impact reporting and or funding.

Advising All Students / Education Plan Building

Gather as much information on the student’s previous college coursework as possible. Many students may not realize that previous coursework may count towards their student education plan and overall unit count towards a degree. The prison’s school principal and or college coordinator may have transcripts on the student’s C-File. Students may also bring unofficial transcripts to the counseling session.
Review your college’s course offerings and supplement courses with other institutions, as necessary, if accessible. Provide information about correspondence education that could supplement your college’s offerings.
Avoid adding courses to a student plan that are not available/accessible to incarcerated students. For example, if you know a course requires access to a computer (computer information systems course) and your college does not currently support this type of course inside the prison, please do not add the course to the plan unless the student discloses that they will take this type of course once released. Be honest with the student about course offerings and access.

Advising Students with Scheduled Release

When providing academic counseling and creating student education plans, counselors must approach planning with possible release times in mind. During the counseling session the student may disclose upcoming release dates, which can indicate the student may want their education plan to reflect courses needed once released.

Advising Students without Scheduled Release

Other students may not be eligible for release or have no near future target date, or the student may not disclose this information during the counseling session. Planning for these students will rely on courses offered by your institution inside the prison and/or other correspondence options available depending on the location of the student.

Semester-by-Semester Planning

If you are creating student education plans for several students, please consider creating a semester by semester (SxS) document to track student progress as they continue to take courses. This type of document can help your program schedule courses for upcoming semesters and it will ensure that students earn degrees quicker.

Sample semester-by-semester plan for a cohort of students set to earn an AA in Sociology
Summer 2021		Fall 2021		Spring 22	Class	Summer 22
Acuna	Soc 110	Acuna	Geog 100	Acuna	Soc 106
			Psych 116		Geog 101
Bernard	Hist 100	Bernard	Soc 101	Bernard	Soc 106	Bernard
					Geog 101
					Soc 135
Brown		Brown	Geog 100	Brown	Soc 106
Corona	Soc 110	Corona	Psych 116	Corona	Soc 135	Faustino
	Phil 101				Soc 106

Intentional Insights: "Making Stronger Connections"

A Counseling faculty's perspective. Providing academic counseling and other student support services for our incarcerated students means making stronger connections with them outside of the classroom. Regular meetings with counselors can give students a chance to check in and express how they’re feeling as the semester progresses. The topics that arise during counseling sessions can vary as they do on our main campuses and it depends on how comfortable the student feels. Regular contact allows the counselor to build rapport with the student, ask about their classes and assignments, and the student’s overall well being as the semester goes on.

In my experience, student’s have signed up for a counseling session to talk about an essay idea they’re working on or they may want to share a victory from the classroom or on an assignment. In some cases students may not live in a house unit with other students or they may not have other friends attending college so providing the additional student support can be extra supportive.