Blog #6

            Chapter 8 is packed with so much useful information.  It provides a good overview of what the “meat and potatoes” of our job as a school counselor should really look like.  That is something I can absolutely appreciate.  I can see myself referring back to this chapter quite often throughout my practicum and once I get a “real job” as a counselor.

One of the most interesting sections in Chapter 8 is the one on Developmentally Appropriate Counseling.  I found this section so interesting because we are going to have the difficult task of adjusting our styles and the way that we counsel based on the types of students that we are working with.  In my opinion, that is a skill that cannot be taught.  When I was in high school, it literally seemed like the guidance counselor treated every student the exact same way.  He didn’t even take 30 seconds to get to know me.  He simply looked at my grades, passed judgment on me, and told me what I needed to do with my life.  When thinking about how different each child is, that makes me so angry…but, I digress.  The level of flexibility and knowledge that we must have with our students is enormous.  It makes me nervous to think about the level of responsibility that is going to be put on me as a counselor.  I constantly question whether I will be ready to step into that role.  What keeps me confident is the training that I am receiving here at Millersville, and believing in the fact that I was built for this role.

            I also really enjoyed reading about the section on Multiculturally Appropriate Counseling.  The reason why I enjoyed this section so much is because I am convinced that I am going to work in an inner city school some day.  If that happens to be the case, I will be working with students with much different backgrounds than me.  I want to be known as a culturally skilled counselor, mainly because I want to be able to work with all types of students.  I believe that having that experience and knowledge will make me a much better counselor.  The book states that culturally skilled counselors “are not always tied down to only one method or approach to helping, but recognize that helping styles and approaches may be culture bound”(Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012).  I want to be able to develop that type of flexibility as a counselor.

Dollarhide, C. T., & Saginak, K. A. (2012). Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. 

            (2nd ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc.