Chapter 1 Post

Although much of the content in Chapter 1 resonated with me, I was particularly struck by the perspective from Nystul (1993): "Counseling is both an art and a science, requiring intellect and intuition." Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) then elaborate, stating that "intellectually, counselors need to understand various theories of change and the stage of development and maturation. Intuitively, counselors need to listen to the inner voice that whispers when to speak, when to be silent, when to intervene, and when to let go" (p. 8). I think these perspectives really speak to where I am as a student counselor at this particular point in the program. I have definitely acquired a lot of knowledge in the past year about a diverse range of issues related to the school counseling field, such as career development theories and strategies, counseling theory and methods, and the various stages of child development. This knowledge base will certainly be helpful as I continue in my journey in attempting to complete the requirements of my degree and begin working in my practicum. However, I cannot expect to rely solely on this textbook knowledge when actually working in a school and should certainly expect to address situations that will challenge me. When facing these situations, I can only do my best with the skills I have and hope that some of my personal qualities, such as flexibility and passion for the work, will inspire me to make the best decision for all parties involved. Julia commented on the perception that former teachers make the best school counselors, and I also found this interesting, as I do not come from a traditional teaching background myself, although I have spent a good amount of time working with teachers on issues related to professional development. Because of this, I appreciated the reminder that having some expertise in academic issues will help me to establish some credibility within the school and will certainly make this is a priority in my practicum and then (hopefully) my future job. I also liked how the authors address the other perspective as well-that teachers also have skills to acquire when transitioning into the roles of school counselors, and the most important thing is to be open to new information and experiences. Because there is so much to learn, I really appreciate that there is actually a model like the ASCA model available that provides some sort of starting point and template, and that we will be learning much more about this model in detail in this course! Dollarhide, C., and Saginak, K. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs: K-12 delivery systems in action, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Nystul, M.S. (1993). The art and science of counseling and psychotherapy. New York: Merrill.