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Counselors can serve as a trusted adult for students
1/14/2019Christy Wheeler of Sellwood Middle School recently won the Oregon Counselor of the Year Award from the Oregon School Counselors Association. We asked her to share her thoughts on the role counselors play in school communities.
Professional school counselors are often the heartbeat of their schools. They work closely with everyone in their building and community. Counselors do many things in a school building to support kids, both in regards to academic success and their social/emotional well-being.
Parents often seek support from school counselors when their child suddenly seems to be struggling at home or in school. Teachers seek counselor support when they need guidance in supporting students who may be at risk for school failure, have work avoidance or attention-seeking behaviors that are getting them in trouble. Administrators work closely with counselors on school systems and strategies to create positive and safe environments.
Being a middle school counselor in a school with 615 students, and one full-time counselor and one part-time counselor split between two schools, can be quite challenging. Meeting all the needs of the students each day and collaborating with teachers, parents and administration takes patience and a shared vision that all students, with the right supports, can be successful in school and in their future.
School counseling is not therapy; it is brief and solution focused. Counselors spend time in classrooms teaching developmentally appropriate lessons that relate to the changing world around them. They meet with students in small groups to do more intensive interventions and meet individually with students who are having a challenging time in life and need a non-judgmental ear and words of support.
My goal as a school counselor is I want all students in my building to know I am there for them, and I believe in them. All kids should have at least one trusted adult in school they can go to if they need help. That trusted adult for many kids is the school counselor.
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