Week 14-Post of choice

It appears that I have previously forgotten to post something additional for week 14 other than my reflection, so here we go.  I hope that I can just blame this on pregnancy brain, at least for the time being!  Then I will blame it on being the mother of three!  I feel that I have voiced this before but I am glad that my practicum experience gave me the opportunity to get back into school and working with students.  I have been a stay at home mom for the past couple of years and I have enjoyed my time home but I am ready to feel like a professional again!  This practicum gave me the opportunity to feel professional again, even as a student!  It has also reinforced my feelings of going back to work even after giving birth to baby number 3!

I have a very genuine love and concern for children.  I always have known that I needed to pursue a career in which I could work with students.  It would be wonderful to be a student counselor but I am afraid that it will be difficult to find a counseling position in any of the surrounding counties.  There are very many counselors seeking positions and limited positions to fill.  I am beginning my search for a teaching or student counseling position and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for me professionally.

My Blogging Experience

I was new to the blogging experience when I began this class.  Sure I had stumbled upon some blogs on the internet but never had I posted any of my own.  I used this blog as a way to communicate with fellow classmates and to have a way to voice my reflections throughout my practicum experience. 

I will admit that I have had a love/hate relationship with my blog throughout this course.  I feel that it was just hard for me to keep up with the weekly blogs and my practicum hours.  The part that stands out for me the most about my blogging experience is having the chance to research student counseling information on the internet to include in my blog.  This gave me the opportunity to find some valuable resources that I can use in my counseling experience.  An advantage to using the blog over a more traditional journaling activity is that it incorporates the use of technology which as graduate students and future student counselors we need to be familiar with.  The main disadvantage I found was that I had a hard time keeping up with whose blogs I had responded to.  Maybe there was a simple way to figure that out and I just never did!

As I stated before I had mixed feelings about the blog.  I think it was a good way to force myself to reflect on my practicum experience but it was difficult to keep up with at times.  I don’t have one particular thought that stands out for me.  I spent a lot of my time throughout this course feeling a little overwhelmed by personal and professional events that all seemed to be happening at once. 

I believe that my assumptions about counseling have changed in the fact that I realize a lot of schools deal with the same problems.  It does not matter how large or small the school population is or the economic status of the students they are a generally having the same difficulties and issues that they are trying to work through.  As I stated before the blog did force me to reflect on my counseling experience.  Reflection is always a good thing because it forces us to look at our experiences in life and make changes if needed.  As individuals we always need to be reflecting in our personal and professional lives.

I like that the blogging experience did give me a chance to reflect.  It also allowed me to find valuable information on the internet that I will be able to use even after this class is over.  I was also able to follow my classmates and see how my experience compared to theirs and to gain information from them as well.  One challenging part about the blog was just keeping up with what I was supposed to be blogging about and not getting behind.  I also found it a challenge to keep up with posts that I had made comments on.  Because of these challenges I would recommend to future students that they stay up to date on weekly blogs so that they do not become overwhelmed with it.  I feel that that this blog has given me the chance to share everything that is significant with my practicum experience.

Continued learning and growth

I plan to continue growing professionally as a counselor or educator by first looking for a job where I can continue being a student counselor.  It is not easy to find a student counseling position in the area that I live considering there is usually only one at each school, but I will begin searching and waiting to see if a position would become available.  My immediate plan is to work as a substitute teacher until I can find a teaching or counseling position.  Being a substitute teacher will allow me to continue my experience with working with students and help to build my confidence.  I also plan on continuing my education my taking more counseling classes towards my Rank I degree.  I feel that it is also important to stay up to date on the latest news and changes in the student counseling career by being connected to organizations such as ACA.  I feel it is very important to stay updated in technnology at all times.  Technology is used every day while working with students so it is crucial to stay up to date on the latest technology changes.  Personally, it is important to reflect on how I can improve as well.  Considering this is the end of the year, it is a great time to reflect on changes I would like to make.  I would like to become more organized to help simplify my life.  My life could be less chaotic with a little more organization!  I would also like to better manage my time.  I like to use checklists to help with time management, but I have gotten out of the habit of doing that.  Those are some ways I can improve personally.

Counseling Reflection

This has been an adventurous semester to say the least.  I think I took on my practicum during a very stressful time in my life, but I am happy to say that I did complete it!  This has by far been the greatest learning experience throughout my graduate time at Morehead State University.  I had the opportunity to work with two wonderful counselors who are devoted to their work as student counselors and truly want the best for the students.  I spent my practicum hours at an elementary school and a middle school.  Both experiences were great but they were different.

            During my time at the elementary school I was very surprised at all the duties that the counselor takes on.  She is the counselor as well as the gifted and talented teacher.  She also has many administrative duties that she performs for the school as well.  I learned that as a school counselor you have to be flexible, because you never know what the day may bring you.  Considering she was at the elementary level, she spent a good amount of time teaching guidance lessons to students.  She let me take on all the guidance lessons for the kindergarten, first and second grade classes.  This again was a great learning experience, because it has been a few years since I have been teaching in the classroom.  I also had the opportunity to individually counsel two students during my time at the elementary school.  I enjoyed my time with each of these students and feel they quickly learned that I was someone they could trust.  Communication came fairly easy with one student because she was very open with me, but I had to take more time to get to know the second student before he would communicate as much.  I quickly learned that he enjoyed playing board games, so we would play those while I talked to him.  I found that this helped him to open up to me and communicate more.  It made me feel good when he told me that his day was better after getting to meet with me.

     My time at the middle school was a different experience than my time at the elementary school.  While I was at the middle school, I was surprised at how many students the counselor has in and out of her office each day.  I found that I really looked forward to going there because I knew that each day I was there I would get to meet with several students and you never knew what situation you may be dealt with from them.  The counselor that I worked with had a great relationship with the students, so it was obvious at how much they trusted her.  I spent the majority of my time there listening to her counsel students and assisting her as well.  There were days that my heart broke for some of these students and the situations that they were dealing with at home or school.  I learned that as a counselor at a school you also have to deal with problems that arise in the classroom that need you to take on an assertive role.  I was listening to the counselor talk to a student who was getting in trouble in class and he was caught in a lie.  She handled the situation with confidence and enough sternness that the student knew that lying to her was unacceptable. 

            I think the thing that surprised me the most about myself through this experience was how much I miss working with students.  I have been staying at home with my two daughters for almost four years now, but I am ready to be back in the schools with students.  I have a genuine concern for children and I was reminded of that throughout this experience.  I feel that I have gained more confidence throughout this practicum experience.  I was definitely nervous about getting in the classrooms and individually counseling students but with experience it became easier.  I feel that I realize now just how important it is to have a great relationship with all the students, so that they feel comfortable in coming to talk to you. 

Skittles Ice Breaker

I chose to use an ice breaker with the class using skittles.  For this activity I first put some skittles in a small plastic baggie.  I just tried to make sure that there was at least one of each color in each bag. Then the students had to share something about themselves with the class for each color.  The amount of information they were to give depended on how many skittles they had for that color.  Here is what I used:

Red Skittle:  Tell class one fact about yourself.

Orange Skittle:  Tell class one fact about someone in your family.

Yellow Skittle:  Tell class about a place you would like to visit or have visited.

Green Skittle:  Tell class about a favorite memory.

Purple Skittle:  Tell class about a favorite movie or television show.

So if a student had 2 red skittles, then they would have to share 2 facts about themselves with the class.  Then I would do the same process for each skittle color.  This will help the class or group to get to know each other better and feel more comfortable around one another.

Middle School Counseling Experience

I had a great learning experience while working with a middle school counselor.  I was very surprised at how many students come in and out of her office each day.  The counselor was very busy throughout the day meeting with students who came to her office having difficulties they wanted to discuss or having trouble in class.  She barely had time to fit in the administrative duties for that day.  I enjoyed being there because she did meet with so many students each day, which is my favorite part of student counseling.  It was also a very awakening experience to see what problems these students encounter at home and at school.  The counselor that I was working with had a wonderful relationship with the students and it was obvious that they trusted her and felt comfortable confiding with her.  I was surprised that I enjoyed being there as much as I did considering I have more experience with elementary students.

Metaphor I can use while counseling

I found a metaphor that I felt could be beneficial to clients.  The Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favorite movies and I have found a metaphor that can be used to relate this movie to our lives.  The story is based on the main character, Dorothy who is trying to become what she is meant to be.  This is symbolized by her many attempts to get home.  Dorothy learns that she cannot do this alone and she needs the help of others.  Many students are trying to figure out what their future holds and what they want to do with their life, but they must realize that they need the help of others.  Those other people can be family, friends, teachers and counselors.  Along the way, Dorothy meets three people who in reality, are ego states that are within her.  Dorothy learns that to achieve your goal, you need to use your head (a brain), you need to have passion and feeling for what you want ( a heart), and you need to have determination and be willing to take risks (courage).    Through the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy learns that she has all of these within her.   Students need to understand that in order to be successful throughout life that they need and education and to use their head, a passion for what they want out of life and determination.

Dorothy also encounters some characters that help her to learn more about life.  For instance she thought a lot about the Wizard and felt he was strong but realized that those people are often just as ordinary as we are.  She also found out that people who try to hurt us in lots of ways are more vulnerable than we are (Wicked Witch of the West).  Students need to realize that to be successful in life they need to experience this world and look within themselves to achieve their goals in life.

My Thoughts on Counseling-Week 12

I have enjoyed being back in the schools and working with students.  I taught elementary students for six years before making the decision to stay at home with my daughters.  I have enjoyed my time home with them but I have been ready to get back into the working world.  My counseling experience has given me the opportunity to feel like a professional, of course without the pay!  That would be a bonus!  It is great to feel as though I am helping these students, either through my guidance lessons or individual counseling sessions.  I also feel that this is great experience for my future job hunt.  It is amazing at how much has changed in the education world in the past three years that I have been home with my girls.  I can now pursue a career as an elementary teacher or as a student counselor, given that I complete assignments and pass the dreaded exit exam!  Actually having the opportunity to counsel students and observe counselors has given me a greater insight to what is actually involved in student counseling.  It seems so many of my graduate courses have not been specifically related to student counseling, which did not give me a clear picture of what they do on a daily basis.  I feel that I have developed through this experience by gaining knowledge and more confidence. 

My first choice for my career in education would be student counseling.  I do wish that student counselors could spend more time in their day actually counseling students though.  They seem to have many duties and responsibilities in the school system that takes away time that they could be spending counseling with students.  Spending time with students and making a difference in their lives is what excites me about counseling.  I recently had a student tell me that his day had gotten better after speaking with me in an individual counseling session and that was a great reminder of why I am pursuing this career!

Cyberbullying

I feel that it is very important that educators and student counselors address cyberbullying in our schools.  Students are now living in a world where technology is all around them and always available.  The majority of students will carry cell phones that have access to the internet and in a lot of schools they are even allowed to take those phones to school with them.  When I was a teenager we had to actually call each other on a land line phone but now most teens communicate through text messages.  They are constantly sending messages back and forth.  Because of this increase in technology there has been an increase in cyberbullying.  I have often stated that I am so glad that Facebook was not around when I was in high school!  Parents and educators need to address cyberbullying with students and help them to become more aware of this problem.  I think this has changed the work of a school counselor because they now need to add cyberbullying to their curriculum, possibly through guidance lessons.  They will also be dealing with this issue more frequently through individual and group counseling.  Counselors will be counseling students who are engaging in cyberbullying and those that have been a victim of cyberbullying.  I believe those are the ways that I would address this problem in my school as well.  I would first add cyberbullying into my guidance lesson curriculum at the beginning of the school year to reach all students.  My lessons would be geared to the age level of the students.  I will work with the students to increase their awareness of the problem of cyberbullying and help them to develop strategies for resisting peer pressure and communicating in positive ways online. 

Continued Learning as a Professional

As with any profession it is very important to continue your learning because things are constantly changing and it is vital that we keep up.  I am currently not employed so my first professional step is to seek employment as either an elementary teacher or student counselor.  I have been out of the elementary classroom for three years now and it is amazing to me how much has changed in that short span of time.  The only way I have been able to stay up to date is to talk to other professional in elementary education.  I also plan on subbing while I continue to look for a job so I feel that will help me to continue my learning in elementary education.  I will continue my learning in student counseling by continuing a professional relationship with my supervising counselors at the schools that I have been at throughout my practicum experience.  I feel that they will be a great source of information to me and I know that they will not mind to stay in contact with me.  I also plan to continue my education at Morehead State University while working on my Rank I in Student Counseling.  I feel that this will help to keep me knowledgable in the field as well.

Counseling Skills Reflection

Based on my peer review from Tape 1 I feel that I am where I thought I would be.  Recording myself is never a fun thing for me to do, let alone when it is a recording of a counseling session where I know it will be listened to and reviewed!  I am gaining a little more confidence now but I truly do not think I will be fully confident in myself until I am actually working in a counseling position on a daily basis.  I know that I need improvement but I feel that is expected at this stage.  I would like to improve my questioning abilities and just knowing when and what to ask.  I would also like to improve my knowledge on knowing which theories to use in various types of sessions.  The main way to continue to improve is to keep counseling and having individual sessions.  I feel that I will improve with practice.  I also need to study more on the theories so that I will be aware of which theory to put into practice with my sessions.  I also feel that the Practicum class sessions help with my improvement.  We have the opportunity to discuss with our professor and fellow classmates and to listen to individual sessions as well.  I am not exactly sure when I will know that I have improved other than when I feel that my time spent with the students is being beneficial to them and they are improving.  I think the best way to measure how I am doing is to see how the students that I am counseling are doing.  The class can help me to improve and reach my goals by providing and sharing what is working for them.  It also helps to have others to talk to about what is confusing me and hope that they can provide some insight to what I am struggling with.

Classroom guidance lesson

Overview of activity:  I focused on an early elementary guidance lesson dealing with personal/social development.  This lesson focuses on having students identify a variety of feelings.

Purpose:  Through this lesson students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others. 

Intervention Level:  Prevention

Age group/grade:  K-2

Materials needed:  a bag, 10 note cards with names or pictures of different feelings, drawing/writing paper

Activity: 

1.       (10 minutes)   Counselor explains that 10 students will have a chance to pull a feeling from the fancy feelings bag. The student is to act out the feeling on the card. The class will have 3 tries to guess the feeling being acted out.  Students listen to the directions. Chosen students will pull a feeling from the bag, and act it out. Counselor should help students having difficulty reading card and/or thinking of acting ideas. Class guesses.  After each role-play, counselor asks students for suggestions of when people might feel that way.  Students offer examples.

2.      (2 minutes) Explain that every person has many different feelings, and not all people will feel the same way in the same situations.  This is okay because our feelings are our own…which makes them all ok.

3.      (10 minutes)  Students will be given drawing/writing paper in which they will be instructed to draw a picture that illustrates how they are feeling that day and to write a sentence explaining their feeling. 

4.      (10 minutes)  Once students have been given time to complete their drawings and sentence they can have time to share them with the class.  This can be done as a whole group or in small groups.

5.      (2 minutes)  Conclude lesson by having students discuss why it is important for people to know about different kinds of feelings.

Follow up activities with the class:  As a follow up activity on feelings I will extend this lesson.  I will have students circulate the room as music plays.   When the music is stopped, students form pairs by turning to the person closest to them. The counselor calls out a feeling (use cards from previous lesson) and the pair shares with each other a time when they have felt that way. The music starts and they circulate the room again and the process is repeated several times.  After activity students will be asked to identify similarities and differences in feelings shared.

Contingency plan:  If time is limited or if I find myself running short on time then students can complete their drawings and sentence during the next class period.  They can have time to share these at the next class as well.  If I have extra time then more students can have a turn drawing a feeling note card from the fancy feelings bag and act it out as students guess.

If I had a magic wand

If I had a magic wand and could change one thing in the school system it would be to increase the number of educators working in the school system.  There have been so many budget cuts in recent years that many people in the education field have to double up on their responsibilities and duties in the school.  If there were more teachers, counselors and administrators then reaching all students would be feasible. 

This change would influence a counselor’s job by allowing the counselor to focus on spending time actually counseling students and less time completing administrative duties.  The counselor at the elementary school that I have been at is also the gifted and talented teacher so her duties and time are split.  If there were more employees then the counselor could focus on individual and group counseling as well and spending more time in the classrooms teaching guidance lessons.   I am not sure how much influence I would have on this change in my building considering I am not an employee.  The schools have a set budget and have to hire accordingly.  I look forward to the day when schools are able to hire the amount of employees they need to better serve the students.

Goals that I am Working Towards

I have goals that I am working towards this year.  1)  I would like to feel more comfortable with individual counseling.  I feel that the more I have individual counseling sessions, the more comfortable I will feel doing them.  I also believe that by having peers and our professor review the sessions I will gain helpful suggestions on ways to improve them.  2) I would like to become more knowledgeable with technology that I can use to enhance my counseling sessions and my guidance lessons.  I have been out of the school system for over three years and it is amazing at how quickly things have changed.  Teachers are using new pieces of technology in their classrooms that I am not familiar with.  I feel the best way to learn more about these new pieces of technology is to actually use them instead of being intimidated by them.  3) I would like to become more knowledgeable about theories to integrate into my counseling sessions and therapeutic techniques to use with those as well.  I have obviously had classes about these theories but when it comes to putting them into practice I do not feel as confident.  It would be helpful to me to use some class time to go over these theories or to discuss with my classmates on theories and techniques they use.  4)  I want to learn more about what counselor do to plan and implement their plans at schools.  I would like to learn more about what is expected of counselors at the various levels of education.  I hope to gain a greater insight to this with the hours I spend working with the counselors at the schools during my Practicum.  5)  I would also like to become more assertive in personal and professional relationships.  As a counselor, I will be working with faculty, staff, parents and students.  I want to be able to have the confidence to say what I am thinking and feeling in a respectable manner.  I feel that this will come with experience.  The more experience I gain the more confident I will become.

Movies that Counselors Should View

Searching for movies that counselors should view makes me want to watch these movies on this cool, rainy evening!  The first movie I feel that counselors should view is "Lean on Me".  I know this movie has been around for some time but to me it is a classic.  I always loved that feeling it gave me towards the end of the movie when you start seeing lives changing and hope for the students.  The themes presented in this movie are:  abuse, neglect, poverty, violence, racial oppression, and resiliency.  The setting for this movie is a New Jersey high school. Morgan Freeman plays the new principal at the school who changes things up a bit with his tough love approach.  I feel counselors should watch the movie to be inspired by the principal's care for these students and the changes that are made in the school.   He shows the students just how important education is and also has high expectations for them.  These are students that some may educators may have just let fall through the cracks but he shows them that if they want to be successful then it is up to them.

The second movie that came to my mind is "Dangerous Minds".  This movie is another one that I always enjoyed watching because of how lives were changed in a positive way. This movie has the same themes as "Lean on Me" such as:  abuse, neglect, poverty, gangs, violence, racial oppression and resiliency.  This movie takes place in an inner-city school where a new teacher arrives to teach students who have been classified as students who do not care about school and have severe social problems. The students do give her a tough time at first but she does not quit and she ultimately gains their respect.  I believe counselors should view this movie because there are several issues addressed in it that counselors will encounter.  Some issues addressed are:  pregnancy, bullying, and a smart student who is afraid to show it.  This movie helps to inspire counselors and all educators who are working with troubled, at risk students to not give up on them.  It is easy to just give up and think you will never make a change in their life but sometimes they need to see that there is someone who will not give up on them and believes in them.   

20 Reasons why Schools Need a Counselor

Top 20 Reasons why my school needs a School Counselor

1.        The school needs a counselor so that each student knows there is someone in the school that they can talk to and know that they will be heard.

2.       The school needs a counselor to help students become problem solvers.

3.       The school needs a counselor to help students achieve personal and professional success.

4.       The school needs a counselor to inform students on various guidance lessons such as social skills.

5.       The school needs a counselor to educate students on topics such as drug abuse and peer pressure.

6.       The school needs a counselor to inform students on sex education.

7.       The school needs a counselor to educate students on career options related to their interests.

8.       The school needs a counselor to help students in making education decisions such as what classes to take in high school to prepare them for college.

9.       The school needs a counselor to guide students in making the decision about education following high school and provide them with their options.

10.   The school needs a counselor to provide students with the tools they need to deal with anxiety.

11.   The school needs a counselor so that the students have a person that they know they can go to that truly respects them and has their best interest in mind.

12.   The school needs a counselor to keep them up to date on the latest testing materials.

13.   The school needs a counselor to analyze data from various assessments.

14.   The school needs a counselor to help assist with administrative duties.

15.   The school needs a counselor to help establish a relationship with parents.

16.   The school needs a counselor to help the school stay connected to the community.

17.   The school needs a counselor to provide individual counseling to students who need guidance.

18.   The school needs a counselor to offer counseling in a group setting where students may feel more comfortable to express their thoughts and feeling.

19.   The school needs a counselor that teachers can collaborate with to better help the students.

20.   The school needs a counselor to teach students the importance of setting goals and working to achieve them!

My first Guidance Lessons-Week 4

This past week I had the opportunity to teach guidance lessons to the Kindergarten classes.  I was excited and nervous to teach these lessons because it had been over three years since I had been in the classroom.  My supervising counselor suggested that I do a lesson on manners for the classes because she had already started that with them at the beginning of the school year. Their teachers also felt that it was a great subject that the students needed a refresher on.  I continued the manners lesson by sharing a book about using good manners.  Then the students and I discussed ways that they can use good manners.  I also gave them example scenarios and they gave me either a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  Thumbs up was if the scenario suggested using good manners and of course thumbs down for scenarios using bad manners.  It actually felt very good to be back in the classroom working with students.  My last two years that I was teaching I actually taught kindergarten so it was great to be with the little ones again!  Now I am looking forward to my next guidance lesson with some first graders!

Week 3 Experience

This week I was able to visit my school one day and I met with my supervising counselor at the school.  We sat down to plan activities for this upcoming week.  She has been doing guidance lessons with the kindergarten classes on manners and suggested that I meet with the kindergarten classes to continue the lesson.  She gave me some books that I could read to them and suggested some material that I could use as well.  I am excited to visit with the little ones but I admit I am nervous as well.  It has been over three years since I have taught so I am hoping that it will just all come back to me!  We also discussed my individual counseling session for this upcoming week as well.  I have been stressing about this whole experience and getting all my hours in but I feel much better after we started getting a plan in place.

Great School Counseling Website Example

I found a website that is a great example of what to include in a website that I would create as a school counselor.  This website is for the Osceola Middle School.  I like how the home page addresses what school counseling is, the mission statement for the district's school counseling program, and the national standards.  This is great so that parents can be more informed on the counseling program and how beneficial it is to the students. This counselor provides several online resources and titles of books for teachers, students and parents.   There is an overview of classroom lessons that the counselor will be teaching throughout the year that are divided into grade levels. There is also information provided on the school's student support groups and how the referral process works for that support group.  There is also information on the summer school gifted and talented program, the family resource center, and the counselor's contact information.  I think it would be a great idea as a counselor to creat a website like this one.  It is a wonderful way to connect with parents and the community.  I would create a website similar to this one that included basic information on what school counseling is, the services I provide and rescources that parents and students can use for various issues they may face.  A lot of times, parents are not aware of who the counselor even is and what they do, so a website like this one would be a great informative tool. 
The following is the link to the website I found:
http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/KErickson/index.cfm

Website I can use

I found a very user friendly website that will be a great tool as a school counselor.  The website is simply titled "School Counselor Resources".  This site offers a variety of guidance lesson plans that can be used to teach students about topics such as:  social responsibility, bullying, problem solving, feelings, drug awareness and careers.  The majority of these lesson plans are for elementary students.  There are also several PowerPoint prentations that can be used with the guidance lessons.  Plus, a large amount of printable forms that student counselors can use when working with students, teachers and parents.  I will use this website to access lesson plans that I can use when teaching guidance lessons.  I am currently completing my practicum at an elementary school and these guidance lessons will be age appropriate.  I also like the PowePoint presentations because they will provide as a great visual tool for the students.  This website also has several links to other websites that will be useful as well.
The link to this website is:
http://classroom.jc-schools.net/guidance/ 

Individual Counseling

I am very curious as to how many hours a week a student counselor has individual counseling sessions.  I am hoping that I will gain a greater insight to this as I start my counseling hours in the schools.  When I was in school the counselor was seen as someone who worked with testing and possibly helped in some career counseling.  I am not sure that they did any individual and group counseling.  I feel that since I have left high school that this has changed and I hope that is the case.  I realize that schools are operating on a limited budget and have to assign many duties to the staff, but I think it is important to remember what the school counsleor is there for.  Our students need more guidance now than they ever did so I think it is important that counselors have time in their schedule each day to have individual counseling, especially when working with older students.

My Thoughts on Counseling for Week 2

A counselor is someone professionally trained to help others through various situations they encounter throughout life.  A counselor will provide guidance and tools to assist individuals in reaching their goals and overcoming obstacles.  Counselors are very important to the area in which I live.  There are students who need school counselors to guide them in making important decisions about higher education and careers.  School counselors are also needed to help students who are dealing with emotional and behavioral disorders.  There are so many students in my area who come from broken homes and homes where one or both of the parents are in jail.  These students need someone to listen to them and to help them through a difficult time in their life.  Older students face issues with peer pressure and substance abuse and need someone to provide them with the guidance they need to make smart decisions.  Mental health counselors are needed as this world becomes more and more stressful. This is causing people to have more issues with worry and anxiety as they feel they cannot keep up with this fast paced lifestyle.  More and more individuals in this area are dealing with substance abuse as well and need counseling.  The need for career counselors is great in this area as well.  People are losing their jobs every day and need guidance from a counselor in how to cope with job loss and to prepare them for their next step in finding a new job.
I want to be a counselor so that I can simply help people deal with this unpredictable life.  I enjoy listening to others and really hearing what is going on in their lives.  I chose the student counseling path because I have a passion for the little ones as well.  There are so many children and young adults that are facing very difficult situations and need someone to listen to them and help them get through the hard times. In many situations the child's parents are not always available or willing to give them the guidance they need so it is important that they have a positive role model that they know they can depend on.  I find it rewarding to be that person.  I want to teach these students the skills and tools that they need to work through their problems that they can use throughout their lives.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!  Blogging is a new experience for me but I am excited to learn more about it.  I will be posting blogs related to my student counseling practicum experiences and anticipate that it will help me in the reflection process of counseling.