Blog #14

            I found the “Listen to the Voices: School Counselors and Comprehensive School Counseling Programs” article extremely interesting.  I have spent the last few years trying to figure out what grade level I would like to work with.  I have finally come to the realization that I won’t know the answer to that question until I actually go out and do the job.  As a result, I am anxiously awaiting my practicum experience next fall.

As we come to the end of this Guidance Program Development class, I can truly say that I feel prepared enough to work in a school as a counselor.  As I take a moment to reflect, I can say that my interests have definitely changed over the past few years.  When I first started in the program at Millersville, my interests were focused around career development for students.  However, as time went on, I slowly recognized that I am equally interested in investing my time to help children grow personally and socially.  This is why I have become highly interested in learning more about the middle school experience.  The article states, “The results suggest that the middle school counselors were significantly more strongly involved than the elementary and high school counselors on student-related tasks (e.g., helping students acquire the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills to develop and manage relationships, making decisions, preventing problems)” (Dahir, Burnham, and Stone, 2009).  When I read results like that in a study, it does make me that much more interested about the world of middle school.

This Guidance Program Development course was challenging to me on many levels.  First of all, it was filled with a pretty heavy course load.  Taking this course along with two other grad courses and working full time was probably not the best idea (live and learn).  Secondly, it provided me with the realization of what it is going to take for me to be an effective counselor within a school.  It also put things in perspective and showed me that a school counselor job is not going to be easy.  It takes hard work, dedication, compassion, and a special kind of human being to be able to thrive and survive in this career.  Third, I have learned from this class that it can be super easy to focus on the negative aspects of the school counseling career.  I will challenge myself to stay positive and continue to focus on the real reasons why I chose this career path.  Focusing on the small victories and continuing to smile will always get me through the tough times.

Dahir, C.A., Burnham, J. J., Stone, C. (2009). Listen to the voices: School counselors and comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional School Counseling, 12 (3), 182-192.