Informational Interview Paper

Counseling has many components in different fields such as a school counselor, marriage and family counseling, addiction counseling, individual and private practices, and many more. For my project, I interviewed Mrs. Ross Freeman, a school counselor who talks about her journey of becoming an Elementary School Counselor. We discuss what the requirement and cost were to receive a license in the counseling field. We were also able to discuss the average salary and hourly wages for a counselor in WISD. Mrs. Freeman then goes on to enlighten me about the rewards, challenges, demands and frustrations of a school counselor.

I have always found Ms. Branson to be committed to helping our student and any teacher that requests her help. She helped facilitate our study club at Otis for the 5th, 6th and 7th graders for the last year we had the 7th and 8th graders at our elementary schools. She always began by creating relationships with all students she worked with by praising their successes and

For Mrs. Tapia, the positive aspects of her role are gratifying and fulfilling. She enjoys interacting with students and be able to see their academic growth and social development. The challenging aspect of her role is the fact that at times there are families that challenge the system or the diagnosed condition of a student and the student doesn’t receive the services needed. Furthermore, there continues to be a great amount of paperwork that needs to be completed per student and the administrative bureaucratic ideas/policies make it challenging at times.

Ava Montgomery is a 28-year-old African American female with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She lives in Louisville, Tennessee and is currently a part-time teacher at an after-school program. Ava has decided to pursue her degree in counseling psychology because she does not want to spend years in a classroom. However, there are times when Ava is unsure she wants to continue teaching or completely change her career. Ava has had thoughts about pursuing another career since her first two years of teaching. Ava discusses how she is frustrated with how the parents show little interest in their children’s academics, but expect her to bend over backwards for their children. She mentions when she was teaching full time, she had spent long hours on paperwork that were either redundant or unnecessary. She doesn’t like the thought of teaching close to thirty students in a classroom. She does not like the feeling of not having her students not showing

Before Katie even evolve into a coordinator, she was employed as a car salesperson and wasn’t satisfied doing that job. She has said that being a counselor is the most excellent job that she has ever done impartial because of helping kids with their obstacle is like giving back the help that she come into possession of when she was here. When I asked her, what is the most

When I first met Kylie I asked about her path to school counseling. This is when I found similarities between us and it became a much more fitting and meaningful interview. Kylie and I both received our undergraduate in Elementary Education. Kylie explained to me that the school she taught at didn’t have a school counselor. She expressed her concern of not knowing how to help the students effectively. This pursued Kylie into getting her Master’s in Counseling. Little did she know, she ended up staying in the field rather than bringing her skills she learned back to the classroom.

A lot of things that she said were so interesting to me, and the fact that she was so passionate about the kids, made me feel like I was sitting in the classroom with her watching her teach. She was also very specific when talking about whether she felt that she could direct an aide, when she said that as long as they were both there for the kids that she could direct them. I thought that was so important in making sure that not only my behavior and passion is to be there for the kids, but also that anyone who I let in the classroom that I make sure that there first priority is to be there for the children as well.

I recall one stand out moment for me, was witnessing her interaction with a group of campers who were chanting “Miss Liz” repetitively, as she addressed them, I could physically see their shared love and admiration towards one another. Miss Liz began her journey with CBH 20 years ago, as a volunteer for the Junior Civitan club at her high school. She has known some of the adult campers for 20 years. I found this to be an appealing part of her job, for unlike a teacher she’s had the opportunity to see the growth and successes of individuals for 20 years. Next, we walked to the gym where we discussed her role as coordinator for CBH. Her responsibilities include, but are not limited to, hiring staff, including, registered nurses, unit leaders, activity coordinators, and selecting volunteers. She also verifies that all campers have the appropriate paperwork and medical forms to participate in camp activities, find a location large enough to host the camp, and from time to time, one of her responsibilities is deciding if a camper can return the next year. We concluded the interview and after meeting some of the staff and campers we proceed to the mess hall for

As an educator and school administrator, she wanted the best from her students and for her students. She was positive, encouraging and always praised their accomplishments. Her expectations were always set high for her students and for herself. After her retirement with over 30 years

As some of you know Ms. Leonhart is the counselor, but i'm here to tell you what you don´t know. So first I want to talk to you about her workload. The question was what do you do everyday us students? Her response was that she helped with student schedule, and sometimes even changes the schedule period. Then she said that if their not adjusting to the school they come talk to her, also if anyone just needs to talk. She told me that there's just no typical day when it comes to being a counselor. Next I asked how much work she did in a day. Her response was that she creates a large to-do list and tries to get everything done, but again there’s no typical day being a counselor.

Mrs. Rickstrew has been in our school district for many years and she does so much for our school. She cares about our school as if it is her second home. If you ever have a problem she will do her best to help because that is her job here. She is a guidance counselor so she will listen to your problem and help you no matter what it is. She is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. When you are feeling down about or you can’t figure out how to get to your dream she will do everything in her power to help whether it is to just talk about it, or if you need her to help you fill something out she is the one to help you. She has a life outside of school, believe it or not, but she will still help you if she has the time to help.

Teaching and helping others has been my passion since I was a young, it has allows me to self-express while helping others improve theirs live. So when I am finally able to put all of that into play it becomes a beautiful thing. Working at BCS has been one of my greatest working experiences. It has taught me the importance of hard work, self-discipline, and dedication. Not only to myself but towards these students. To pursue a career in the field of counseling has quenched my desire to help students through the process of making the right decisions that enable them to self-actualize, to become the best at what they truly want to do, and to handle the setbacks along the way. Working at BCS has brought me to know that I can do this and that I can make a positive impact on lives.

It is with great enthusiasm that I submit my name to the School Counselor Position listed online. I am a certified school counselor, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Mansfield University and a Master of Education in Counselor Education from Penn State University. As detailed in my resume, I am dedicated to providing positive direction for students' academic, social, and emotional well-being. Additionally, I work effectively with children with various Development Disabilities as well as students with behavioral challenges and thrive within a multicultural and diverse environment.

On October 30, 2015, Kaitlyn and I shadowed ad interviewed Mr. Barnes at Cape Coral High School. Mr. Barnes has been in the field of education for 15 years as a dramatic arts teacher and school counselor (K-8 counselor and high school counselor. He has a master’s degree in counseling and is currently working on a doctoral on educational leadership. Currently he is the head department school counseling for Cape Coral High School. Mr. Barnes shed light of the in and outs of a school counselor. With his prior experience as a teacher he adds another dimension in the field. He has an energetic and friendly personality that works well with his high school students. He connects effectively with everyone. As the head department, he is well known and recognized by the entire staff and student body.

Andrea Diehm was the perfect person I discovered to interview for this assignment. The reason I chose Andrea Diehm was because I knew she had been a counselor a few years ago with a school district 30 miles away from our high school. I heard from other people that Andrea was an easy, approachable individual who was an amazing listener and was supportive of others individuals. I commend Andrea Diehm for listening to others personal stories. She would have to remind herself to keep her own personal opinions out of the counseling sessions and remember that she needs to think in a professional way. I interviewed Mrs. Diehm at her house in Presho, SD a few weeks ago. We had a one on one conversation for this assignment at her kitchen table. I observed that she was attentively sitting in her chair anxious to answer the interview questions. Andrea seemed very confident in her answers that she provided for me about her own career. Mrs. Diehm was also an enthusiastic person and sounded interested in all of the questions I was asking her.