A School Counselor?

Whenever I tell someone what my job is, I usually get one of two responses.

1. Wow. We need more of you.

2. What do you counsel kids about? Do they actually have counseling needs?

The answer to both of those questions is, “Yes.” We do need more counselors and there are lots of kids who have real counseling needs. Unfortunately, many people in the school system believe one of those two questions. Much of my position is either working with people who have a clear understanding of what we are trying to do, or working to justify the importance of my job. My job becomes so much more difficult when I have to fight to do it properly.

Friday I attending a school counseling conference and I am amazed how different it felt to be surrounded by people who understood what I do and wanted to talk about how to make it better. I enjoyed the conference, but was left with the cynical feeling of wondering how it can be implemented in the schools. My education was very optimistic and didn’t prepare me too well to maneuver negative staff situations. Good thing I have my philosophy background to help understand and analyze different points of view so I can make the best of the situation!

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