Week 12

            It was very interesting to see the examples of the CSGP at schools from different levels.  Each certainly has their own emphases, although they share some commonalities as well.  I reflected on these differences along with the differences that were evident in our three presenters from the panel on Tuesday in class.  I am left wondering how we might best prepare for the various levels.  I suppose that is some of the intention of the internship in allowing us to experience the uniqueness of each level.  Additionally, I suppose we have had opportunities to counsel students from various levels, and plan activities for levels according to our intended age range.              

            Personally, as I contemplate my interest, I confess that I find something appealing about each level; one not better than another, just different.  Therefore I remain unsure of which level appeals to me most.  However, I must say that the text helped illuminate some of the differences and got me thinking.  I actually like doing puppets ( J ), I like social/emotional issues and challenges of middle school, and I like the scheduling/career/college planning aspect of high school.  I can say that even as a parent, I enjoyed each age and don’t have a favorite either.  Perhaps that is reflective of my inability to choose a favorite age for counseling.   As I understand it, many school prefer that counselors have certification K – 12, and since I have no particular preference, that broad certification would be amenable to me as well.   As I think about the possibilities with practicum, I am thinking it would make sense to split my secondary practicum into middle and high school so as to receive experience in both.

            As I think of the different levels, and consider the competencies needed for each level,  I have resonated with one particular comment on the panel.  It is one I have heard echoed by parents and high school students as well:  counselors often do not exhibit a great deal of competency when it comes to the college process.  The one panelist wished he would have gotten instruction on this in his training.  I have never found school counselors to be of much help when it came to the college process for my own children. And the other day, I met a woman who had no idea I was studying to be a school counselor. We talked about her son’s college application process.  He wanted to be the first in his family to attend college.  The woman had no idea where to begin or how to manage the very complex process and decision-making in the college search, application, and financial aid maze.  They had gone to their school counselor and reported she was of no help at all.  All I could think about was how well prepared are we to be an adequate resource for parents/students in this regard.  Certainly there is much to know, and the college application process has changed dramatically, even from my oldest to my third child.  I began to think about how school counselors might handle this important aspect of high school life even when they may not be an expert on the topic.  Because I have had three children recently go through the process and have filled out FAFSA forms for 10 years and counting, many people used to come to me for help and tease me that I should teach a course about all this.  I’m not proposing I teach a course, but perhaps that experience will remind me that as a counselor I can draw on others to provide expertise, which I may not have.  Perhaps parents and recent students are better situated to talk about this journey regardless of the counselor’s attempts at knowledge.  Perhaps they could work together to decipher the needs/issues/etc. for students applying to post high school education.  I guess the take home is we will need to know when we could benefit and others could benefit from outside experts.  We need to know our limits.  We need to collaborate well with others who may be more of an expert than we are.  We need to find a way to find out who these people are, and to ask for their help.