What does it mean to be a counselor? I believe that a counselor is a helping professional who chooses a counseling career path that should empower other individuals. Tome a counselor is someone who guides others to find opportunities that maybe others didn't know about or see was there for the taking. Counselors are an important component of my area (rural Eastern KY) for different reasons. In our elementary schools, students need a safe neutral place to let go of their anxieties and fears that occur within their lives. Counselors in the school systems in my area deal with a wide arrangement of helping high school students find scholarships for college, to working with social services and educating families of how to provide a better life for children, and even helping people deal with disaster within the community. I have chosen to embark on the career path of counseling for different reasons. I do enjoy watching how people grow and change in a positive light. Self-reliance has always been important to me and I have seen that a lot of people do not know how to be self-reliant, and I want to help others see that they can’t always control what happens in their lives but they can control how they react and adapt to what happens in their lives and still lead a productive and accomplishing life.
I like how you noted that counselors guide students towards opportunities they might not be aware of. Our guidance counselor requires all seniors to visit at least 1-2 college campuses. Many students from rural areas may never have traveled out of their local area. Therefore, they may be unaware of career opportunities that exist that match their unique interests and personality. Career guidance and exploration is critical at all grade levels. Career fairs work best when the counselor includes professionals from careers that may not exist in the local community. Also, I am a big proponent of college visits. Many of our students are first generation college students and have never stepped foot on a college campus. Another point you made in your post was about counselors helping out when disasters happen in the community. No doubt, the counselors in the Morgan County School District were instrumental in calming the fears/wiping the tears of many students in their district in the aftermath of the devastating tornado. In addition, they serve as a resource in helping families connect to social service agencies.
ReplyDeleteI have a student in my 1st block class that is absolutely terrified of storms, she and her family was caught out in the derecho storm that hit through our area this past summer, and she have a deep deep fear of storms because of this experience. While just working with this one student has helped me gain perspective, I can only imagine what your community went through. I am not far from West Liberty the way a crow flies and I know several people from the area, and it was heart breaking to see what happened so close.
DeleteI like what you said about self-reliance. There are so many things in students' lives that they can't control. A counselor can help students with how they view and react to their circumstances. Counselors can give students tools to use in their everyday life so they don't have to be victims of their circumstances.
ReplyDeleteJulie Anderson
Alisha, You mention one of the same reasons that I love counseling as well; and that is watching people grow and change. After several years of counseling and academic advising it was an amazing feeling to have some of the students that I feel I was able to guide, come back and see me and tell me what they are doing with their education and to thank me for beveling in them. You will love this experience.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right when you say kids need somewhere to go to vent their frustrations as well as a place to go where someone will be proud of their accomplishments. Unfortunately, school is the most stable area of many kids lives in the area in which we live. So it is the school counselor that fills this role in many kids lives.
ReplyDeleteStudents who are self-reliant respond and adapt in a positive manner to a variety of issues. Skills, such as autonomy, are valuable attributes that school counselors should emphasis in their guidance lessons. Students need to learn to adapt to new situations and the issues that they will encounter in their lives.
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