TPC Journal-Vol 11-Issue-1

124 The Professional Counselor | Volume 11, Issue 1 2. As a school counselor, you created a comprehensive school counseling program from the ground up. What were the challenges, barriers, and supports during that time? Some of the challenges that I faced—and I think a lot of school counselors face when starting or creating something—was changing the perception of school counselors. We always hear the term guidance counselor instead of school counselor , and while they are the same in some ways, they are also very different. As the profession and practice of school counseling have evolved, the roles and responsibilities of counselors in schools have expanded, and this is reflected in the title of professional school counselor . Currently, the profession is trying to move away from the title of guidance counselor. It is outdated and does not represent what school counselors do. When people think of a guidance counselor, they may think of or remember someone that helps you schedule classes and apply to colleges, but the role of the school counselor has expanded far beyond that. School counselors look at ways that we can help students grow. Data is a big component of the work that we do. School counselors can look at academics, attendance, needs assessment data, and student screener data and determine what interventions the school can put in place to help students succeed. These interventions can include group counseling, individual counseling, or participating in a school program (e.g., mentoring program). As you can see, school counselors do more than people think when they hear the title guidance counselor. Everyone must be mindful of this when starting to implement a comprehensive school counseling program. You will likely discover a need to help the community and school personnel understand that not only the title but also the services a professional school counselor can offer have expanded, and the title of guidance counselor is no longer appropriate. I had to do a lot of explaining and advocating for my role in the school. I had to explain what my true role was and what I could do for administrators, teachers, and families and their students. I had to demonstrate that I could do more than facilitate groups and guidance lessons. To have a comprehensive school counseling program, you need data to drive the work you are doing. I had to show how data could make a difference in the interventions with students. School counselors cannot effectively do their job without the support of the school administration and staff. Data allows us to demonstrate that our interventions are effective in supporting student achievement and development. Another challenge was trying to stay the course. Creating a program does not happen overnight, and it requires a lot of time and attention. I had to keep reminding myself of the end goal and that there would be days that were harder to deal with, but my end goal was still the same: to have a comprehensive school counseling program. But there were days where I was doing a lot of administrative work that made it tougher. I knew if I kept at it that I would get there. It took 4 years for me to fully create a comprehensive school counseling program. The process was made easier by the support from the administrators and staff that I worked with. They saw the need for the program and knew how impactful it could be in the students’ lives. I can honestly say that without the staff I would not have gotten anywhere close to where I wanted to be. 3. In your view, what can be done, or needs to change, to address or overcome these challenges and barriers? As school counselors, we need to continue to advocate for our profession and the work that we do. If we sit back and don’t speak up, then nothing is going to change—the same things will be done year in and year out. We can’t be afraid of the reaction and responses that we may get. The answer is always going to be “no” to the question we never ask.