Today's School Counselor
By Docena Maria Holm

Do you remember your school counselor in elementary school? What about middle or high school, aside from making a schedule change? My husband remembers the janitor, Mr. Cleverly, but nothing about a school counselor.

Today's school counselor is an integral part of a child's educational experience. Through counseling, consulting, and classroom presentations, a counselor is proactive in the academic and social success of your child.

CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS
At all grade levels, counselors present curriculum lessons associated with the age and needs of students. Methods for school success, problem solving skills, and goal setting are taught at every grade. In the younger grades, personal safety and conflict resolution are the main topics. In the older grades, the focus shifts to transitioning to middle school and high school and career goals. These lessons build on each other from year to year.

As I volunteered in my son's second grade classroom, I observed a lesson on feelings and the appropriate way to react to others. Kathy Thomas, the counselor at Christine Donnell Elementary School, taught that our reactions to others can be hot, cold, or cool. We choose. Hot is reacting in anger or in an abrupt manner. Cold is to ignore, not say how we feel, and maybe cry.  Cool is to think first, say how we feel, and then act with kindness. When I discussed the cool approach with my fourth grade daughter, she explained how the lesson had been expanded in her class to making an exact statement about your feelings and then explaining what you would like the person to do next. She used this technique at home with good results.

COUNSELING
Counselors meet with students individually and in groups to solve problems and deal with issues. Pam Link, from Lewis and Clark Middle School, says that in an individual counseling situation, counselors can listen and offer information from curriculum lessons previously taught. Sometimes a student will sign up because of a lesson presented. A student can see a counselor through self-referral, or a referral from a teacher, parent, or another student. Anna-Marie Davis of Jefferson Elementary offers group sessions with topics ranging from stress management, dealing with family changes, academic skill building, social skills, anger management, and more.

One of my children met in a group situation for a few weeks. I appreciated the support from the teacher, the counselor, and the other students in the group. The number of sessions for each group varies, with groups meeting at a time that least affects academic learning.

David J. Chehey, from Boise High School, believes that the overriding counselor goals are to assist and help to equip students with problem-solving and decision-making skills, which can be done in both individual and group settings.

CONSULTING    
Since counselors are involved in various aspects of student life such as academic testing, class scheduling, special needs placement, and career advisement, they can consult with teachers, administrators, students, and parents to promote student success. To ensure long-term relationships, middle school and high school counselors are assigned to students by grade and/or name and stay with the student through their years at that school.

Pam Link feels parents can best use counselors by keeping them informed of any situations in or out of school that affect a student socially, emotionally, or academically. When my middle school daughter's schedule did not meet her academic needs, I expected to be bounced from one administrator to another to solve the problem. As my daughter's counselor, Pam helped in a timely and positive manner for the success of my daughter.

Today's school counselors are well-educated with a master's degree and well-equipped with curriculum goals and recommendations from the American School Counselor Association. Today's school counselors have a desire to assist in the success of your child. As Wendi Ellis-Clark of North Junior High states, "I desire to see successful young people develop into productive, happy, and contributing community members-this is why I am a school counselor."

Sidebar:

MANY ROLES OF A COUNSELOR
A counselor can help you and your child find solutions to problems and is also proactive in the academic and social success of your child through counseling, consulting, classroom presentations, class schedule conflicts, dealing with bullies on the bus, test scores, anger management, and planning for college and career.

Counselor can have many roles. Pam Link, a counselor at Lewis and Clark Middle School, says that some of those roles are individual, group, and crisis counseling; setting up and facilitating parent-teacher conferences; giving faculty presentations; being a member of a special-ed team; coordinating testing; and scheduling student classes.

Docena Maria Holm has four of her five children in school and appreciates the assistance of school counselors (and janitors!) in her children's success.