Post of Choice

The school that I teach at has approximately 800 students in grades 9-12.  We have two counselors:  one who works primarily with freshmen and sophomores and one who works primarily with juniors and seniors.  The roles of these two counselors are very different because of the needs of their students.  Not only do they do scheduling and assessments for their assigned students, but also any social or emotional needs that these students have.  We are probably lucky to have two counselors to split up our student body.  Teaching slots have been cut every year that I have been at my school and losing a counseling slot would be very detrimental to our students' success.  

Despite having two counselors, I think the needs of our students are often overlooked because of the demands placed on schools by district, state and federal guidelines.  Our counselors are often overloaded with assessment, RTI and transition planning that takes up the bulk of their time.  This leaves little time for individual or group counseling for students.  Oftentimes, students in need of counseling are referred to contracted counselors from the local community mental health agency.  Again, it is great that we have this resource to utilize and many students benefit from it.  But, these counselors are often looking for a DSM diagnosis in order to fulfill their own billing requirements.  Without a diagnosis, there is little need for that service.  We have a plethora of students that simply need a positive adult role model to provide guidance and supportive listening because this does not exist at home.  If public schools are going to claim to meet all the needs of students, then I think it is necessary to provide a counselor that has the sole job of counseling students in individual and group settings, without the demands of testing, scheduling and planning.  

Reflection of Yourself

My counseling experience during practicum this semester can best be described as coming full circle.  This is my 7th year as a teacher.  Before I was a teacher, I spent three years working at a community mental health center as a case manager for children with severe emotional disorders that were at risk of being removed from their homes.  It was this experience that made me want to pursue my counseling certification in the first place.  As I completed counseling courses and begin my practicum in August, I think I was much too focused on applying theories and following certain strategies in counseling sessions.  As a result, I was being distracted from helping students by my concern to apply a particular theory in the correct way.  At a certain point this semester, I realized that my efforts were not successful.  I can't be sure how the students I was counseling felt, but I was distracted and the therapeutic relationship was not genuine and authentic.

Since then, I have tried to express unconditional personal regard for the students that I counsel, regardless of social, emotional or academic needs.  I have focused less on applying theories and more on active listening and problem-solving.  I say it a lot, but I might be wrong in my thinking.  My perspective has evolved into the notion that those who need counseling rarely have family or friends with whom they can talk about issues, conflicts and concerns and get supportive feedback.  Because of this vacuum, these individuals seek out professionals to fill that role.  In the school setting, students lack positive adult role models that they can trust.  This is the void that school counselors must fill.  For the most part, my students don't need me to apply a theory or engage in complex behavior modification.  Above all else, my students need support and someone who will listen and not judge them.  I'm not sure if I'm way off base because I have participated in many counseling classes that focus on techniques and theories, but in my experience with students this semester my perspective has evolved.  

Post of Choice

For my post of choice, I wanted to reflect on the development of my counseling perspective over the last few weeks.  It has been interesting to me to analyze my perspective on the role of school counselors from my own role as a teacher.  I had a predetermined idea of what school counselors did on a daily basis.  My own perspective was created by my own experiences with school counselors as a student, then as a teacher and in my counseling classes at MSU.  My own experiences as a student with school counselors was negative.  Primarily, I sought out the guidance of the school counselor as a high school student in need of advice and resources to attend college.  I found my school counselor very unconcerned and rude when I would try to schedule time in her office.  When I decided to pursue counseling, I vowed that I would not treat my students as my counselor had treated me.  As a teacher interacting with school counselors, our encounters were usually limited to assessment trainings and analysis or completing recommendations for students applying to colleges or for scholarships.  My counseling classes were most focused on the mental health and guidance in social development for students.

I'm not sure that any of these experiences actually prepared me for practicum or participating in the counseling role this semester.  It is difficult to schedule time with my site supervisors because their days are often filled with unexpected events that require immediate attention.  In my experience, counselors try to dedicate a good deal of their time to direct student guidance, whether individually or in the classroom setting.  Unfortunately, counselors get overloaded with many administrative tasks that take away from their direct time with students.  And I don't think counselors get many opportunities to connect with students so that they will feel comfortable enough to approach their counselor when an issue arises.  I may be wrong, but in my experience so far, many students are much more likely to approach a teacher for advice or guidance than a counselor.

Metaphors, Stories, Humor and Linguistic Changes

I may not officially be a counselor at this point, but I feel like I do a lot of counseling with the students I interact with on a daily basis.  Several of these students I have had in class for multiple years and they feel comfortable enough to seek me out for guidance.  And, inevitably in a class of 25 teenagers, there will be frequent teachable moments that require a teacher to step into the role of counselor to help a student or a class to make sense of the daily grind.

I often hear students express that they feel uncomfortable because of their different beliefs, values or upbringings.  In a classroom, there is a meshing of individuals from diverse walks of life.  It is not uncommon to have several students that feel they don't fit in anywhere.  Some of these students feel like they cannot have the success of others because they are different.  I often find myself comparing happiness to a mountain top with these students.  Happiness is at the peak of the mountain.  Every student in my class can be successful and find fulfillment, but they may take different paths to reach this pinnacle of life.  The diversity of the paths that students take to success and happiness does not determine the value of the journey.  I have used this metaphor with students who differ in values, upbringings, religions or career goals.

Another saying that I have recently adopted and passed onto students is "bless it and let it go."  Our former principal used this saying a lot and at first I thought it was very cliche.  But over time, the value of this approach began to make sense to me.  There are circumstances and events beyond our control.  Sometimes we give it our best effort and the outcome is not what we had sought.  This is a frustrating experience, but beyond our control.  Acknowledging our lack of control over external influences is empowering and helps relieve a sense of failure that we did not accomplish the task we set out to do.  Students feel frustrated by tests they think they have prepared for yet do poorly on, ACT scores, relationships with peers and arguments with parents.  Although the outcome was not what they desired to happen, the situation is done and cannot be changed.  I have found that many of my students have the same reaction that I did when they first hear this saying.  Despite their initial amusement at the saying, they are quick to repeat it to me at appropriate times in class now to remind me of the things I can control and the things beyond my control.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is an issue that I have seen develop during the last few years as a teacher.  When I began teaching, social networking was just becoming popular.  Now, cyberbullying is a topic that comes up in our building several times a month.  Some of these incidents are very small, with unintended consequences and some incidents are blatant bullying on the part of students.  Bullying of any type should be taken seriously and addressed by adults immediately.  I think that the issue of cyberbullying is difficult for schools, and specifically counselors, because of the gray area of where the bullying takes place.  It is difficult for school employees to address bullying between their students if it is not taking place on school grounds.  We all want students to feel safe and respected in the school environment and cyberbullying crosses this line.  But where does the jurisdiction of school administrators begin and end?     For this reason, I think it is very important that schools have specific, written policies regarding cyberbullying.  I have seen several instances of students being harassed by their peers online and that animosity carrying on into the school.  Unfortunately, I have had administrators tell me that this is not a school issue because the act of bullying did not take place on school grounds.  I think this is a problem because schools are sometimes the only support systems that many students have.  If students cannot count on us to look out for their best interests, I think the integrity of public schools is harmed.

Continued Learning as a Professional

I think that my future endeavors in the world of counseling will be similar to my experiences as a teacher.  Everyone has the initial stage in a new position in which you feel like you are not prepared to accomplish your daily tasks.  You feel overwhelmed and ill-trained in a new setting.  After a few years when you feel as though you know what you are doing, you realize that you never get to a point where you know it all.  Classes are always different and new strategies and theories are always be introduced. One either becomes a life-long learner or gets left behind, stuck in a state of complacency and accomplishing little of importance.  When I began the counseling program a few years ago, I knew that I wanted to be a school counselor.  Now that I am nearing graduation, I'm not sure that I'm ready to leave the classroom and my students.  

When the time does come that I leave the classroom for the counseling office, I plan to continue my professional growth by surrounding myself with good people that I can continually learn from, both in the field of counseling and outside.  I will be active in counseling associations, as I am now with my content area as a teacher to keep myself updated.  Our district has a counseling cadre of that meets monthly for all the counselors in different buildings to meet and share.  I think this sounds like a great idea to get feedback from professionals that have different experiences and insights.  And most important, even if I not in the classroom, I hope to keep my finger on the pulse of my student body.  In my practicum experience, I've seen how overwhelmed and overworked counselors can be.  Counselors are often given tasks to complete that reduce the amount of direct time they spend with students.  I plan to make my biggest priority the interests and needs of the student body that I will be serving as a counselor.