Welcome Back!
I'm excited to be returning to Murray for year 6 and at Red Hill for year 17! I will have an intern working with me this year - Sarah Leidersohn. She is in the Counselor Ed program at UVA and will be working with us Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She will be at Red Hill primarily in the beginning, but we hope to have her spend some time at Murray as well.
I have many goals for our kiddos to achieve and do amazing things this year, but on a personal note, I am committing to eliminating the "G" word from the vocabulary of my staff this year. Many years ago, the national organization made a move away from calling us Guidance Counselors and adopted the term School Counselor. I have happily made the change myself, but haven't always been so diligent in correcting others. I am committed to stepping that up this year. I will also no longer be teaching Guidance classes, but will now deliver Core Curriculum.
Why does it even matter? What's the difference?
A few decades ago counselors were introduced into schools to assist students with occupational/vocational choices, college preparatory support, etc. They were teachers that simply took a few extra classes and were then called 'guidance counselors.' Fast forward to today and you'll find that we have state and local professional organizations (The American School Counselor Association- ASCA) that support us professionally and legislatively, standards we're required to follow, a requirement of (at minimum) a master's degree in counseling, and oftentimes counselors have specializations in other areas. A far cry from the persona of those that play counselors on television, in movies, and those that many of us experienced when we were in high school.There is a wide array of responsibilities that make up the job description of a professional school counselor and they mainly focus on the proactive, pro-social development of a child. School counselors work with conditions that interfere with a student's social, emotional, and learning process. A school counselor encourages successful academic, career, and personal/social development to ensure every child succeeds. This is accomplished through a variety of methods but mainly through individual counseling, group counseling, and core curriculum. School counselors also work collaboratively with students, teachers, parents, administration, and community members. For more on what a school counselor does, their standards, and why they are an integral part of the school community click here.
I find that many counselors are still faced with the frustrating and oftentimes annoying challenge of being referred to as a 'guidance counselor'. Below are some of the wonderful and BRIEF explanations of why we should be called school counselors and NOT guidance counselors:
* guidance is only ONE component of a counselors job
* guidance is a service, school counselors provide a program* it's outdated terminology that does not represent the broad scope of what counselors do
* To me I feel that anyone involved in a child's life provides 'guidance' in some way, my expertise allows me to do more than just point them in a productive direction and give a 'quick fix' to a problem their presently working through. My education allows me to assist them in seeing where they've been, what they want to change/keep the same, where they want to go, and help them take the steps to get there. By assisting children through problems they are currently experiencing, it's my hope to teach them the skills and strategies to not only work through their current problem but also those that will present themselves in the future.
So now I hope you have a better concept of the difference between guidance and school counselors. With that said, please stop making us cringe, and stop using the "G" word! :)
