Blog 4

Cadence seems to be very outgoing and interested in the profession of Guidance Counselors.  I understand her wanting other peoples opinions of her decision and the profession but she shouldn’t let their opinions sway her final decision especially if she really wants to do it.  Other people will always have a view or opinion of everything you do, however, how educated in the field of school counselor are they?  Maybe Cadence could go over the ASCA National model herself and then help the people with the negative comments to understand what school counselor are responsible for. 

When Cadence wondered how political advocacy fit into the job of school counselor, I believe it would be to educate the district and the teachers in the building about the ASCA National Model if they aren’t already aware, along with parents and the community.  Once the guidance counselor puts the information out there for everyone to see and understand, there should no longer be a question of what the school counselor does all day, who the school counselor works with and why.

I believe there are lots of uneducated people out in the world who have no idea what a school counselor does and therefore make speculation about the profession.  There are also people who have had negative experiences who no experience with the school counselor to say something positive about the profession. 

For instance, when I was in elementary school I had no idea that there was a guidance counselor they didn’t come do lessons in the classroom or make themselves available.  When I was in the middle school my mom and dad split up and my mom called and requested that the counselor speak to my brother and I.  During that first encounter he seemed okay, but I didn’t want to talk to him, as I had never seen him before and it made me feel different from my peers.  So I lied to him and said I was fine, and my schoolwork wouldn’t be affected and asked to go back to class.  It wasn’t until I was in 8^th grade that I found out more about the school counselor and what they were there for and then when I was in the high school I became very close to my counselor.  She wanted me to have a future and goals.  She became a positive female role model in my life in a time when I needed it the most. 

Although everyone won’t have the same opinion, if Cadence explores the profession further and believes this is where her heart is then this is the career for her and she shouldn’t let anyone talk her out of it, but she could educate them about it to help them understand it more deeply.

Reference

Dollarhide, C. T., & Saginak, K. A. (2011). Comprehensive school counseling programs, k-12 delivery systems in action. Pearson College Div.