Ch 13 – Emerging Issues

                I wish I had a crystal ball that could see into the future as well.  Education in the school system is constantly changing.  I wish I could see if it is worth jumping on some of these band wagons or not.  School counselors are in a very tough position with laws changing frequently.  This ball would allow us to better suit the students needs when we are meeting with them during their crisis in a small group or individually.  Then this ball would allow us to be more proactive in helping the students that are in distress. 
                Self-destructive behaviors are becoming more and more prevalent in students.  It is imperative that I am constantly reading the most up to date information about this so that I can meet the needs of the students that may be partaking in this behavior.  It was interesting to read that one of the theories around cutting is not to kill themselves but it is in response to a numbing dissociative state in regards to psychological trauma.  If I am not constantly reading new information or attending trainings then I may fall into a rut of not be up to date with the students and their needs.  I have worked with many counselors that have fallen into this pattern and I do not want to go down that same path as them. 
                There are several emerging issues that we have read about in this chapter and I feel it was a good overview to open the eyes of a counseling student.  I think it is just the icing on the cake and once I start working as a school counselor it is important to remember these issues and read more in-depth about the ones that are primarily facing the district where I end up working.  Some areas seem as though they would be prone to having more issues that fall into one category than another. 
                Funding is an issue that has started becoming very pressing for many districts in the area.  I am interested in staying in the area once I get my degree.  One way to get around this I learned from conducting my interviews for this class.  The one counselor told me that she would volunteer her time on different committees for local organizations and then they would in return give a service back to the students.  This would be putting in extra time in the evenings but would be very beneficial to get more services into your building without needing to spend a lot of other extra money on behalf of the school district.  With the one the economy is going I feel as though people are going to need to become more resourceful in finding creative ways so that the students are still able to benefit from it. 

                The presentations were wonderful to hear in class this past week.  Everyone did a wonderful job and it was great to hear about some programs that are not as commonly used as the other ones.  They could/are still be as beneficial they just have not been around as long.  I am wondering if the programs really get their name once they have years of research to help back up how effective they are. 

Dollarhide, C. & Saginak, K. (2012). Comprehensive School Counseling Programs: K-12 Delivery Systems in Action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.