Blog Week 3

I really enjoyed this week's reading. There are many points I could comment on and relate to but I will just hit some of the main points. I have a better understanding now of what a comprehensive school counseling program should look like and how important it is to make sure it is: holistic, systemic, balanced, proactive, infused into the academic curriculum and reflective. (Dollarhide & Saginak, p. 51). I also appreciated the piece these authors included on multiple intelligences. We are discovering more and more how the brain works and how learning is different for different people so incorporating this model just makes sense. Here talking with parents and teachers could prove helpful as they spend the most time with the student. It would be tempting to think in a "one program fits all" way but that is not the case many times.

I was also struck by the term "positive meandering path" (Dollarhide & Saginak, p. 54) when talking about career journeys. This is me!!! I really struggled with what I wanted to major in when I was at University. Some of my interests didn't match my skills and I had to change direction. My main goal when I graduated was not to get a job (I had no clue what I wanted to do!) but to live in and travel around Europe. I did that for a year and it was wonderful. I always envied people who knew what they wanted to do. My Mom said she always had wanted to be a teacher. Now she was born in 1943 so I wonder how the times affected her decision but she ended up having a fulfilling career as a teacher. I always thought I could be happy doing many things in life. While I appreciated the flexibility, I did not appreciate the lack of focus. I kind of fell into my job as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at a church in Delaware. I didn't know I wanted to do that but I was at the right place at the right time and I was in that position for 13 great years. Now I have meandered onto the school counselor path. Maybe that is how I got here but it has taken much intentionality and hard work to get to point I am at now.

I also enjoyed the section in our textbook about identity achievement. This is so important for all human beings and seems particularly a struggle when we are younger. The idea of "safe risk taking" caught my eye. As a parent I need to pay more attention to these opportunities to help my daughters learn critical thinking skills and to make responsible choices. It made me think about the Alderian techniques of natural and logical consequences.

Finally, I want to comment on the section from the Walsh, Barrett, and DePaul article. I found the section on principal feedback very interesting as this counselor/principal relationship is something I have been thinking about more lately. I loved the personal comments principals made as I got a peek into their experiences with counselors. I also appreciated the section under collaborative practice. "One of the major collaborative activities (29%) of these school counselors was making connections with local community agencies..." (Walsh, Barrett & DePaul, p. 376). This is a part of my job I look forward to. I enjoyed doing this when I worked for the church. I love being a resource for people. I see this as an integral part of a school counselor's job. It is part of the "It takes a village to raise a child" mentality that I subscribe to. 


Dollarhide, C.T. & Saginak, K.A. (2012) Comprehensive school counseling programs. (2nd ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc.

Walsh, M.E., Barrett, J. G., & DePaul, J. (2007). Day-to-day activities of school counselors: Alignment with new directions in the field and the ASCA National Model. Professional School Counseling, 10(4), 370-378.