Blog 6

“Our partnership with students begins with the foundation of our profession, counseling,” (Dollarhide& Saginak, 2012, p.122). What a profound and true statement to start the chapter off with. I think it is very common for others to mistake the role of a counselor and one of the most important aspects of the job, counseling. As the chapter states, counselors are not mental health professionals although they do have some knowledge of mental health, they are no way qualified to act as a mental health professional. Our job as counselors is to know when it is necessary to refer a student to a specific service and which services would benefit and be most appropriate.

                A well versed counselor must be sensitive to diversity and the fact the different cultures effect the way a student acts and perceives situations. Of equal importance is the need for the counselor to have self-awareness about one’s own cultural background and limitations of their knowledge.  I have yet to have multicultural counseling, but am excited to start to gain knowledge about other cultures and the importance of being a diverse counselor. Traditional counseling methods do not always work the best, and understanding a person’s background and cultural can help assist a counselor in finding the right approach.

                The last topic I will touch upon is a topic that I am extremely interested in and that is Peer facilitators or peer mentors. “For the peer facilitator, this provides an opportunity to develop helping and leadership skills, a powerful way for a young person to “try on” roles connected with school related and helping professionals,” ( Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012, p134). Peer mentorship can serve such a purpose, and working together with peers is a great way for students to get connected with one another and to put aside the differences that seem to cause some of the ever present bullying and fighting. Group counseling is a great way to start off peer mentorship and is something that I feel should be a necessity in the counseling setting in schools. I realize that not all students are best suited for group counseling but the benefits far outweigh any of the negative stigmas that could be associated with group counseling.  I personally really enjoy sports, and something that can promote healthy living and serve as a peer mentorship is incorporating some kind of athletic activity into mentorship programs. There are so many different avenues you can with peer mentorship, I feel the opportunities are endless, and how exciting it is to think about all that could be accomplished working  together, not just students but all stakeholders involved; the community, administration, principals, teachers, and parents. Use the resources we have available to us, because with all the budget cuts in education, that is the only thing that cannot be taken away.

 

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