School Counselor Mock Interview
Practice 40 School Counselor interview questions covering crisis intervention, student advocacy, and collaboration with families.
Question 12 of 40
What steps would you take if a student told you he or she was being abused?
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Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.
Sensitive cases like abuse, that have legal implications, need to be dealt with seriously. When answering, consider all sides of the case such as the well being of the student, the protocols of the school and your moral responsibility to protect this child from danger.
Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.
"First, I will ask the student further on the kind of abuse that he or she is experiencing so I would understand the situation and the next steps that I need to do. Next, if the school has a protocol for cases like this, I will follow the proper escalation process so we can remove or protect the child from the abusive environment. If we cannot remove the child from the abusive environment immediately, I will provide the child with contact numbers or methods to reach me in case he or she is abused again so we can alert the authorities."
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Anonymous Answer
If a student were to report to me that they were being abused, I would first encourage the student to elaborate as much as possible regarding the alleged abuse and ask questions such as: Who has been abusing you? When did it occur? Is the abuse ongoing?
I would then ask the student to show any bruises (if in an appropriate place) and I would take pictures of any bruises for documentation that I would provide to authorities if necessary. I would then contact the child welfare office and report an alleged abuse and provide any details they may ask for and I would adhere to their recommendations as far a contacting police. I would then contact my administrator and inform them of the siutaiton and follow up in the days after the intial report to ensure the students safety both at school and after school.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your training in this area is apparent. Very good response, with highly specific action steps. Perfect answer.
Anonymous Answer
I would listen to the student, offer empathy and support, and inform him/her that I am a mandated reporter and am required to report. I'm aware that pressing with questions regarding abuse can be retraumatizing, so I would take what I get from the student and report to law enforcement or CPS to investigate per District policy and state guidelines. It's most important to keep the student safe. This might mean that the child is removed from the home; if not, I would assist the student with a safety plan.
Stephanie's Feedback
This such a tricky situation and you did a wonderful job of creating a response that is empathic, trauma-informed, and solution-focused.
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