Blog 12

            Prior to last week's class, I had read the article on mattering and its link to stress and satisfaction (Rayle, 2006).  Without even asking the counselors who came to class, I received a response to how to handle the responsibilities of being a school counselor.  The message I got was to keep your role as a school counselor separate from your personal life.  Just hearing how the drive to and from work was the switch to school counselor responsibilities and home/parent responsibilities made me realize that I seriously need to remind myself that I should have a life outside of all the things that I agree to work on because I deserve a satisfying life. 

             The motivating force for me wanting to become a school counselor is that I find it enjoyable to work with children and teens.   Last semester and during the summer, I volunteered as a mentor at a local Boys and Girls Club.  I was not obligated to do anything in particular with the kids, but I happily volunteered to help students with their homework, brought in my own supplies to teach interested students how to make friendship bracelets, and just talked to students that felt comfortable talking to me.  The best memories I have are of the number of after school program students waiting for me at the front entrance, and of students asking when  I would return because they liked me.

            Compared to my experience at the grad school I attended prior to being a school counseling grad student I feel incredibly lucky to be receiving an education for a career that I will actually enjoy.  The work I was doing at my old school was very stressful, but there were some things that I did like.  I was a teaching assistant for a year helping students in a research methods course in psychology.  It was a great time for me to interact with the students, to help motivate and inspire them to create a project, and to talk to students during my office hours.  In addition, I was also a lab manager that helped to train undergraduate students on how to conduct experiments.  It was a time when the research assistants in my lab asked me about applying to graduate schools and what career opportunities are potentially open to them with a degree in psychology.

            After reading the delivery system chapter, I totally felt that my prior graduate education could be implemented into my work as a future school counselor.  I have already taken two semesters on the statistical analysis of psychological data, and I will be taking a research methods course next semester.  I will definitely be able to use my skills and knowledge to help create an effective delivery system.  It is through understanding the reasoning behind data collection that through the analysis of a whole system measures can be implemented to promote positive change.

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

Rayle, A. (2006). Do school counselors matter? Mattering as a moderator between job stress and job satisfaction. Professional School Counseling, 9(3), 206-215.