I once walked the halls of Highland High School as a very timid student. My lack of confidence had landed me many appointments with my school counselor, Tiffany Strauss. It was in Mrs. Strauss’ office that I gained confidence in myself and overcame many obstacles. It was also where recognized my passion for school counseling. I am a graduate of Rowan University, a CACREP accredited institution. I received my Masters in Counseling in Educational Settings (K-12) and hold a current New Jersey certification. Prior to graduation, I completed my school counseling internship at Highland.
My internship experience during the 2013 – 2014 school year gave me all of the necessary tools to be an excellent school counselor. This experience made me realized
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I currently work as a Behavioral Assistant; I provide in-home behavioral support to adolescents. I work closely with adolescents and their families to diminish challenging behaviors that prevents child from achieving success academically, personally, or socially. This experience has been extremely valuable and has helped me gain more experience with high school aged students. I also work as a 1:1 aide at Timber Creek High School providing daily support to a student with a developmental disability.
This past October, I completed my Student Assistance Coordinator internship at Triton Regional High School. Much like my school counseling internship, I provided direct counseling and referral services to students. I worked collaboratively with the school counselors on many student cases and was extremely active in promoting SAC services. I consider this experience to be a great addition to my school counseling knowledge.
My dedication to school counseling can be seen in my diverse background. I am confident that I will be an effective school counselor. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to call me at (856) 816-8531 to arrange an interview at your
The role of a school counselor is an intriguing one because they do not work with a specific type of client. While they will always be working with young children or teenagers, the problems their clients come to them with can be so different from client to client. One session might be dealing with questions about career choices. Another might be about dealing with bullying. Some days a school counselor may even have to be there for a child who was a victim of sexual or physical abuse. It is because of this wide range of demands that a school counselor should be well-versed in many types of counseling theories.
Children are the future of the world. I feel as though it is important to invest in their academic, psychological, and physical development. School counseling is a potential career option that would allow me to achieve that goal. For this reason, I chose to interview my cousin, Ms. Sonya Wright, a professional school counselor at the Barack and Michelle Obama Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. In her position, she is expected to guide, support, and advise students and their families in hopes to alleviate any problems or issues that may cause the student stress. Her main goal is to be a resource for students so that they are able to successfully perform academically and mentally function inside and outside of the classroom. She is able to reach students in a way that allows them the opportunity for stability and support to succeed and thrive. Having the ability to inspire and influence a child in such a powerful way is something that strive for in my future aspirations.
The choices we make early in life have an enormous impact on our future. I have always known that I wanted to directly impact people’s lives and my personal experiences have set me on the school-counseling path. In the future, I would love to influence another generation of students to soar for their dreams.
For my informational interview I interviewed Hasty Elementary School Counselor Candace Thurman. Mrs. Thurman earned her B.A. in Psychology from Salem College and a MA Ed.S in Mental Health Counseling from Gardner Webb University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed School Counselor. Her maternal grandfather suffered from mental illness and was homeless. Seeing the impact his condition had on him as well as her family compelled her to choose a career in mental health. Mrs. Thurman worked in the middle school setting for 11 years. This year is her first year in an elementary school.
From this twenty year counseling veteran I learned about a functioning guidance program, the role of the counselor, the amount of time she spends in various components of the program, how to foster a positive relationship with the teachers and faculty, ways to continue to develop professionally, and insight for a future career in school counseling. As I drove away from the school, I felt a mix of emotions such as, intimidation, excitement, and hopefulness to name a few. When I began to try to take in just how much is required and how many people rely on a school counselor it was intimidating. In my mind I began to wonder if it is possible for one person to be that much to that many people and still keep some kind of balance. As soon as the thought passed through my mind, I immediately heard the words of wisdom that had been shared with me, "don 't beat yourself up for not being able to be everything to everybody." I also reflected on how upbeat the counselor sounded when she talked about her role in helping students become "the best people
The opportunities and future outlook for high school counselors will greatly depend on the size of the school and its district. Currently, in the Duncanville School District, there are very limited spaces for school counselors. On the other hand, other local larger school districts are in need of high school counselors because there are many students who are in need of needing someone to speak to about their life issues and other social problems that they continue to encounter on a daily basis. The increase in student enrollment and the building of new schools is not a negative situation. It is more so a situation that opens the doors for more individuals who have been certified in the area of counseling. Overall, “employment for educational, vocational, and school counselors is expected to grow by 14 percent, which is faster than the average for all occupations” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010-11, p. 1).
My pursuit of becoming a School Counselor led me to apply to the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland, College Park. I am a former student at University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After graduating and teaching for two years in Prince George’s County Public Schools, I discovered my true passion lies not only in the classroom and students’ academics, but playing a pivotal role in the growth of their career, social, and personal development. Although I am no longer teaching full-time at the moment, my interaction with students from diverse backgrounds left an indelible responsibility to continue making a difference in our students. The objectives and mission of the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland can best help my goal of becoming an effective counselor and leader who is an agent of change to students and service the mental and emotional well-being of the younger generation.
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Third Edition. Alexandria, VA.
I desire to pursue school counseling as my career to become an effective and successful leader in this profession. Why? I have always held a passion for touching the lives of the youth in a great and positive manner. A licensed school counselor entails helping students with academic achievement, personal/social growth and career development, ensuring students become the industrious, well-balanced adults of tomorrow. while, operating as a professional school counselor involves me obtaining the appropriate knowledge and skills that will support me with providing exceptional service for clients. I believe that I can obtain this intelligence here at Capella University. I comprehend that as a professional school counselor I would be expected
With the diversifying population in America’s schools, a profession school counselor should be culturally competent to meet the needs of all students. “The transformed professional school counselor is culturally competent, respectful of human diversity, and a school leader in ensuring that oppressive systemic barriers to academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social development are removed (Erford, 2015, p. 173).” A school counselor needs to have a deep understanding of a variety of cultures to meet the personal, emotional, developmental needs of a student using individual and group interventions while being aware of their cultural and spiritual needs.
School counselor is a continuous learning profession; whether it is the profession itself, or society that continues to change, or government prioritizing different matters within the school systems. The key to be a successful school counselor within the school is through research. Finding out what’s different about this year’s population, students interest, what is the most effective way to provide information to students. These are just a few reasons of why research is valuable and important to conduct throughout the course of one’s school counseling profession. There are different types of research one could utilize, and with all the research found it is important that a counselor has the necessary skills
The goal of a school counseling program to help all students reach academic success by providing supportive services that addresses issues or concerns comprising of academic, career and social/personal development. School counselors are not only concerned with students who are succeeding and motivated to learn, they also aim at encouraging students who are at risk of failing or dropping out of school to continue striving for success and setting goals that encourage productive citizens in communities. In order to create a comprehensive school counseling program, one must first recognize their own assumptions, perceptions and stereotypes regarding students’ behaviors, values and beliefs. One should also have a willingness to accept and understand
My story of why I am pursuing my dream of becoming a school counselor begins when my family immigrated to the United States in the late 1970s, as Hmong refugees after the secret war against the Pathet Lao. My family originally settled down in San Diego, California for several years before they decided to moved to Fresno, California for more resources and to live closer to their relatives. When my parents came to Fresno, they were receiving welfare and attending adult school. My mom was a stayed at home mom while my dad worked at Wow Wow Supermarket until he injured his back. During this critical time, my dad noticed that my relatives were making more money working in the fields than going to school. Which resulted in both of my parents dropping
This is a profession that I find to be very rewarding, but challenging as well. Through my education at Clemson, I feel that I will be ready to take on the responsibilities of being a school counselor and change students’ lives one step at a
Lockhart, Estes J. & Keys, Susan G. (1998). The mental health counseling role of school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 1(4), Retrieved from PsychInfo. ‘