Stretching When We Feel Stretched to the Max

At the 2022 annual Connecticut School Counselor Association conference, I was moved by the keynote speaker, Allison Edwards. Allison challenged us to be our best selves, opening with a conversation on “Helping the Helper.” She shared that there are several steps we need to take and many of them are going to cause us to feel some discomfort as we make new habits. She spoke about “flipping the switch” in the context of leaving work at work. What happens when we leave work and manage the self-care piece of not checking our school email (practicing what she calls the 24-hour rule for non-emergent emails and situations) but for some of us, our role doesn’t stop when we walk out of the building and we feel the calling to continue our work? We stretch ourselves to continue our work beyond our school buildings.

For myself, stretching outside of my comfort zone was joining the Board of Directors of the Connecticut School Counselor Association. I had been on the Board of Governors for two years as a County Vice President before getting nominated into the Board of Directors seat that I hold now. The VP role was a great way to ease into CSCA with meetings every other month and hosting two events a year. Collaborating with state-level leaders and gaining an understanding of the inner workings of CSCA made the role low risk with a high reward.

This past year, after taking the leap and accepting a position on the Board of Directors, my work with CSCA has helped me understand the world of advocating at the state level with our amazing Government Relations and Advocacy Committee. In the two years after graduating that I was in the role of a school counselor without being affiliated with CSCA (or even paying attention to what was going on with CSCA), I spent most of my time on the day-to-day tasks of being a school counselor within my school, servicing my students and families. Stretching my comfort zone to take on an expanded role in CSCA has allowed me to grow as a leader by finding my voice with the state through advocacy. I have found myself in a seat at a table I didn’t even imagine while in my graduate program, having a voice that is being heard.

I have found that to be a part of CSCA was to be a part of a group larger than just my immediate department, a group whose primary focus is to support and advocate for school counselors and students. It was finding a home away from home with my people. When I’m feeling stretched to the max, I have surrounded myself with like-minded individuals who understand that sometimes, simply showing up is the most one has to give on that day. The last few years have been a whirlwind of change and emotions for not just schools and our stakeholders, but the world. How could someone consider taking anything else on? The day-to-day ebb and flow of our school counseling jobs can be overwhelming and stepping outside of our job responsibilities can seem daunting. But there is value to working with a school counselor through CSCA that makes the time and commitment worthwhile. Although joining CSCA may not be the next step for everyone, school counselors are leaders and advocates and at our core look for ways to improve our school communities for all stakeholders involved.

Kelly Norris is a member of the CSCA Board of Directors.