How I View Myself as a School Counselor in a Future Work Setting

Ideas

Some of the best ideas regarding school counseling revolve around organization,

collaboration, and self-care. Possessing strong organizational skill is the beginning of becoming

an effective counselor and leader. The ability to use your physical and mental capacity, available

resources, and your time effectively to accomplish required tasks, and also to take care of

yourself, is a seminal counselor requirement that I am strongly managing. The psychologist at an

elementary school often discussed “healthy boundaries” during interviews, where she relayed

that using your weekends for work will lead to burnout. Thus, I plan to schedule specific time

slots during the workday for record-keeping and for impromptu appointments. Also, I plan to

keep utilizing and adding resources to my personal counselor website created at Brandman as

well as the wikis. These are excellent reference points to quickly access and retrieve information

in one place.

Collaboration is the process of engaging with other stakeholders in order to set goals,

discuss solutions to problems, and hear and consider other people’s perspectives. I’ve been

fortunate to work at a place that has allowed me to witness collaboration in action and that has

allowed me to be a part of the process where feasible. For example, I’ve observed a principals’

meeting, many Coordination of Services Team (COST) meetings, and Student Study Team

(SST) meetings. In addition, I have participated in many staff meetings at the school and district

level. Effective collaboration is a seminal trait to master as a counselor, given the variety of

settings and varied personality types that counselors will encounter with both colleagues and

students. Goodman-Scott et al. (2019) contended that collaboration involves relationships that
are interactive and reciprocal among its members to reach common goals (p. 228). Thus, being

able to effectively convey and communicate information to others would enable a counselor to

advocate for justice and for change where needed.

Another area where I’ve experienced growth has been in self-care. I used to be the type

of person that would go to work early, stay late, and take work home as well. That took a toll on

my health and personal relationships. I’ve observed how the counselors at an elementary, middle,

and high school setting handled themselves with workload and among colleagues, and they all

appeared balanced, even though they all had about four times the number of students they should

among two or more sites. By observing and interviewing both school counselors and school

psychologists, I’ve realized the importance of maintaining a healthy work/life balance, and to

rely on collaboration to achieve student goals. I have learned to lean on my employees more and

have entrusted them with more responsibilities. These actions have resulted in our professional

relationship growing and also, it has lightened up the workload on all of us. The majority of

times, work gets completed during work hours and if not, I no longer commit to finishing things

up on the weekends. If things are not urgent, I wait until I’m at work to address them.

Skills

I have learned to communicate with all levels of leadership with more ease and

persuasion. I’ve learned, the hard way, that to have a productive conversation, it is important to

remain respectful at all times and not make the person feel guilty or embarrassed, even if it is

obvious that they are incorrect. Likewise, it is important to admit when you have made a mistake

and attempt to fix it promptly. Moreover, it is important to know when a conversation is

unproductive and needs to be ended. If a person is too upset to be reasonable, you must
recognize that, remain composed, and tell the person that it’s better to continue the conversation

at another time, when both are able to talk productively. It’s important to not put yourself or

others in harm's way by continually evaluating the conditions surrounding a conversation.

Another trait that I have grown over time is the ability to speak up to request more

information about a task, ask for clarification, or for me to relay information to superiors, peers,

or subordinates. For example, during our first staff meeting with our new supervisor, the district

coordinator for the after school programs, he surpassed the meeting time, which resulted in all 15

of us missing our lunch time and rushing to our respective sites to be ready for the after school

program. The next meeting we had was heading in the same direction, and I kindly let our

supervisor know of the time constraints. He understood and dismissed the meeting. Afterwards,

several site coordinators thanked me for speaking up, and privately, so did our supervisor.

Similarly, during an English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)

meeting, I was the only person that informed the principal of a middle school that the back-to-

back schedules he had set up for students to take the ELPAC remotely, didn’t allow time for

students that take extra time, or to troubleshoot technology glitches, or even give us, the test

administrators, enough time to prepare for the next student. The principal concurred and

extended the times for all the students. Thus, I am more self-reliant and have the resources and

the ability to solve problems, to analyze a situation, and to communicate with all levels of

leadership with tact and confidence.

Interacting with Colleagues

Interacting with colleagues has improved considerably. I am able to adapt my vocabulary

to fit the needs of the person, group, or situation, taking into consideration the person’s values,
and other social and ecological factors that make the person or the environment. I realize that

speaking with a diplomatic tone is not ideal in all situations, even when you are being

professional. In order to be heard, it is more effective to adapt your language similar to that of

the intended recipients. That does not mean to repeat expletives if they are spoken, but merely to

simplify or embellish your language and modus operandi according to a particular situation.

Interacting with Students

Interacting with students that are as varied as the colors of paint and the flavors of spices

has been and continues to be a learning experience. A technique that works well with one student

will not necessarily have the same effect on another student of the same sex and age. Being able

to notice such nuances and to act accordingly continues to be a learning curve for me, given that

not all students express their needs with words. For example, a child that typically followed all

school rules and behaved well had an off day and had a verbal altercation with another student,

which resulted in both of the students being talked to by me. The student that typically behaves

well was so hurt that he cried throughout the remainder of the day, through snack time, and he

was still down by the time his mother came to pick him up. I learned that I need to differentiate

how I approach each student.

There are students in the after school program where I am employed that have Tier 1,

Tier 2, and Tier 3 needs, and although there are only four of us providers for 84 students, we

have tried to accommodate the needs of all our students. For example, we have had students that

only need some accommodations (Tier 2) such as allowing them to run a couple of laps in order

to be able to focus on homework or providing some students a different space with less

distractions. We also tried to support a student that has down syndrome (Tier 3). However, as
Goodman-Scott et al. (2019) asserted, students at Tier 3 “need more frequent and intense

interventions and interactions …” (p. 164), which we were unable to provide in the after school

program. The decision to enroll the student was above my pay grade.

Although well intentioned, my supervisor should have considered the impact the student

would have on the providers and the other students, given that we did not have a dedicated staff

member to support the student. In less than two weeks, the student had to be removed from the

program, which I thought was an unnecessary burden on all the involved. From that experience, I

learn that it is better to have an honest conversation with a parent wanting after school support

for a student with disabilities, by tactfully stating the reasons why the program would not have

the resources to efficiently support the student, than to enroll and then remove the student.

My philosophy is to be honest, of sound character, trying to help all students, all staff,

and the community that we serve, by collaborating with stakeholders and coming up with

solutions on how to best support students and families. That involves being able to discern when

we should reach out to other stakeholders for help, to include colleagues, the district, other

organizations, or when to decline support. An effective counselor should be able to find the

correct balance between helping and trying to accomplish all things.

Interacting with Families

I believe that all individuals working in schools have a responsibility to fulfill the duties

that they are trained to fulfill, promptly and efficiently. I believe that counselors should strive to

utilize the resources that are available in the school and district of their employment, and only

outsource when absolutely necessary. In order to know what is available locally, a school

counselor must be able to collaborate with other stakeholders such as other counselors,
administrators, parents, teachers, the school nurse, etc., to have a wholesome understanding of

how the school procures help and resources. In Table 1.1, Goodman-Scott et al. (2019) noted

how interacting involves a variety of stakeholders, which is all part of Positive Behavior

Intervention and Supports (PBIS) for students (p. 13). I have been allowed to observe several

COST meetings and SST meetings in which these types of collaborations are enabled. It is a

team effort when stakeholders try to explore ways to support a struggling student. It takes effort,

time, recording, revising, revisiting, monitoring, and reconvening to see that a student is making

progress, and most of the time, the efforts do pay off. When they don’t, it is an indication that

stronger measures are needed, such as from Tier 2 or Tier 3.

In addition, Goodman-Scott et al. (2019) described how it is imperative for counselors to

be responsible to themselves (p. 55). I was able to witness a teacher accomplish this during an

SST in which the teacher told the mother of a student that has been struggling with misbehaviors

and with completing homework assignments, that we were all there to support the student, that

the student is smart, and that when the student is interested in a topic, he is engaging and

completes work.

Also, when she attempts to communicate with her (the mother) about the student, that the

conversation needs to remain professional in order to be productive, because if she begins

yelling, she will discontinue the conversation because it isn’t helpful. She reminded the parent

that not all communication is going to be bad news, but that if there is something negative to

communicate, she will do so respectfully and expects to have a productive conversation where

no one will yell at her, because they all want what is best for the student. That exchange was

good for me to witness and an excellent example of how to achieve those healthy boundaries that

the school psychologist referred to before. As an after school coordinator, I have been at the
receiving end of angry bursts from parents when their child is removed from the program. Thus,

I will emulate this teacher’s behavior and cut a conversation short if a parent or guardian

becomes disgruntled and disrespectful as a way to show boundaries and respect toward myself.

Interacting with Communities and Culturally Responsive Practices

This is an area where I am very passionate about and it correlates with culturally

responsive practices, which is why I have combined the two. I think it is crucial to know the

population that comes to your school in order to best serve them. This not only includes the

students and families but also the staff population. Many teachers do not reside in the areas

where they teach, which can make them oblivious to the needs of their students and community

at large. One of the many things that I admire about the place where I work is that the many staff,

and in particular the Student Support Specialists, have done a tremendous job in supporting the

families that we have via home visits, phone calls, and even providing transportation when

needed. I have been involved with connecting with parents and students that are struggling with

understanding the technology requirements to log into classes, to browse the different

applications within a class, to take a picture and submit their assignments, and the like. The issue

is even more pervasive with families whose English is their second language.

Our school serves a lot of families that are homeless, and our district provides free meals

to individuals who are 18 years and under, regardless of their school status. Another positive

aspect that is close to my heart has to do with promoting an environment that is inclusive and

advocates for diversity. When George Floyd was brutally murdered, it became evident to me

what hate and institutional racism can do. Although not a strange occurrence for individuals of

color, for some reason, this particular incident evoked the anger of people from all walks of life.
That week, I found it incredibly difficult to focus at work and on my school assignments. As I

saw the United States more divided than ever, I wrote a heartfelt email to a high-ranking member

of the district, encouraging him to email the people of the district, staff, students, and parents

alike, with words of unification. For a while, I heard nothing back. Then, last week, leadership

and various members of the district decided to form an Equity Team, a place where all the

district family can participate in a once a month conversation to address the current U.S. climate,

institutional racism, implicit biases, how to speak up, and much more. It was rewarding to see so

many individuals wanting to engage in difficult conversations, but that is exactly what is needed

to move forward and to stop repeating the mistakes of the past.

Summary

As a prospective school counselor, I feel that I have had the opportunity to work in a

variety of settings that has prepared me to collaborate effectively with colleagues, students,

parents, and other stakeholders, and it has given me confidence to be inquisitive and find the

necessary resources needed to accomplish a given task, without going overboard. I have been

able to be involved in various school functions at various levels, such as board meetings, staff

meetings, and various student support meetings, which have made me aware of how school

operates and how a group of people organizes to support students and families. My work

experience has been complemented by knowledge gained through my studies at Brandman

University. For example, I have learned about special education and Universal Design for

Learning, and have seen these in action while observing a regular teacher and a special education

teacher classroom. Brandman has taught me about PBIS and Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports

(MTSS), and I have been able to both observe them in various school settings, and to apply them

while working with elementary students. Thus, as a prospective counselor, I pledge to continue
to be a reliable professional that offers support, guidance, and pragmatic solutions to the

problems that we are facing in school and in the community at large.

 References

Goodman-Scott, E., Betters-Bubon, J., & Donohue P. (Eds.). (2019). The school counselor’s

guide to multi-tiered systems of support. Routledge.