President's Letter: Empowering Students - Risky Behaviors and Healthy Choices

As school counselors, it is important to reflect on the challenges we have faced this year and the progress that we have made in supporting our students. One area that continues to be a concern for many school counselors is the issue of risky behavior.

Risky behavior can take many forms, including substance use, gaming addiction and TikTok challenges. Although these behaviors may seem different on the surface, they all share a common thread: they represent a departure from healthy, productive behaviors and can have serious consequences for our students' physical and mental health.

Helping our students navigate these challenges and make positive choices for their future is the job of school counselors. This requires a multi-step approach that includes education, prevention and intervention. Education is one effective response to risky behavior. By providing resources about the risks and consequences of substance use, gaming addiction and other risky behaviors, we can help the students and families we work with make informed decisions and avoid potentially harmful situations.

Prevention is another critical component of our work as school counselors. Creating safe, supportive environments where students feel valued and connected to their peers and their school, we can help reduce the likelihood that they will engage in risky behavior. This can involve a range of strategies and interventions, from building positive relationships with students to offering extracurricular activities that provide healthy alternatives to risky behaviors.

In the final Maryland School Counselor Association newsletter issue of the 2022-2023 year, I emphasize the importance of our work and the critical role school counselors play in supporting our students. The challenges of risky behavior are real, and they require a proactive and comprehensive response. By working together and staying committed to our students' well-being, we can make a real difference in their lives and help them reach their full potential.

So as we look ahead to the summer and the start of a new school year, I encourage each of you to take some time to rest, reflect on your own practice and consider how you can continue to improve and refine your work in this area. Through ongoing professional development, collaboration with colleagues or simply taking the time to connect with your community, we all have a role to play in helping our students make positive choices and avoid risky behaviors.

Thank you for your ongoing dedication to this important work, and I wish you all the best as we move forward together. Serving as president of the Maryland School Counselor Association has been truly an honor and I look forward to continuing to support this association as immediate past president for the next two years.

Dr. Nikki Poindexter Ham is president of the Maryland School Counselor Association and an assistant professor of school counseling at Bowie State University.