Blog #1: Chapter 1: The Profession of School Counseling

I thoroughly enjoyed last week's class. It gave good insight into how the whole school counseling program would be tied together. In particular, the conversation regarding the differences between teachers and non-teachers entering the field of school counseling intrigued me. In further reading of the text, it became more apparent that each has their own strengths and challenges within the field. If time allows, it would be beneficial for me to do some substituting to become exposed to the inter-workings of the school system. Regardless of your background, it is evident that the primary goal of the school counselor is to be the advocate for each student (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012).

While reflecting on my own academic background, I realized that either I was not aware of a new position or more likely, there was not an elementary school counselor at my school. Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) explained that school counselors were not readily employed in the elementary schools until sometime in the 1980's. This would explain the absence in my elementary school. During those years, character education, social awareness education, and interpersonal issues were addressed either by the teacher or by the nurse. Middle school was quite similar. In fact, I do not recall ever sitting with the school counselor let alone addressed within a group by the school counselor. Despite graduating in the top 5% of my class, I can recall only one meeting with my high school counselor.

I bought ASCA's book on the framework for school counseling programs last spring and found it especially helpful, especially as I prepared for the small group project in Group Process. It will be interesting to explore further the competencies and guidelines in our efforts to produce our own program. As I continue to observe, shadow, and interview school counselors, it will be also be interesting to compare their current programs with that of ASCA's model. In an effort to secure employment at the end of my program, my greatest fear is to need to take a position within a district that does not value their school counselors and their advocacy for students. Either way, I have found through life that circumstances are rarely ideal and it is what you do with what you have that determines your growth and success. I may not enter the ideal school district, but it will still be my duty to advocate for as many students I can within the parameters I am given. The four personal qualities described by Dollarhide and Saginak for school counselors were of particular interest to me. Creativity and imagination, flexibility, courage and belief, as well as passion are important in a school counselor whether in a district that gives their counselors the ability to utilize their skills, but even more so within a school that undervalues their counselors.

Dollarhide, C. T. & Saginak, K. A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs: K-12 delivery systems in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.