President's Letter: Our Identity, Our Village

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the identity of a school counselor. The identity of a school counselor…what does that look like? When people ask you what you do as a school counselor, what is your response? How do you describe all that you do on a daily basis when every day is so different and unpredictable?

On a related note, there are some really good (i.e., true) shirts out there for school counselors. Some of the best I’ve seen include: “Keep calm, I’m a school counselor,” and “I’m a school counselor; what’s your superpower?” One of my favorites (that I happen to own) says: “You know you’re a school counselor when…someone talks about a lunch hour and you say ‘what’s that?!;’ you get in 10,000 steps in a day just inside the school building; you can literally do 12 things at the same time, extremely well; you are super excited about breaks, but spend them worrying about your students; your ‘to do’ list is rarely addressed due to unexpected occurrences; you understand what ‘RTI’ means; and you’re addicted to coffee.” Am I right?

The role of a school counselor can be draining, overwhelming and isolating. You ride a fine line between collaborating with administrators and consulting with teachers. You are neither that nor them. Beyond that tightrope act, you often know more about students than any school stakeholders. You are a carrier of confidential information, constantly in a debate between what is “need to know” and what is “not to know.”

The theme for this issue of Outlook is “Beyond Your Building: Counselors in the Community.” What does this look like in terms of the identity of a school counselor? How can the role of a school counselor engage with the role of counselors in the community? The initial response is obvious: many of our students are receiving mental health support from clinical counselors and therapists. By coordinating and collaborating with these counselors and therapists, we are better able to support our mutual students/clients. What other ways are you working with counselors in the community? Well, care coordination teams, like Youth Support Teams (YST), are a great place to start. Engage community stakeholders (mental health, DHS, police/SRO, etc.) to support families in the district. Invite clinical counselors into the school, through organizations like Youth Contact; decrease the barriers for students and families needing additional support.

Who else in your community could be identified as “counselors in the community?” How about church leaders, SROs, and active community organizations? It often feels like every school is on an island within their district, with a distinct population and resources and stakeholders, but that needn’t be the case. I appreciate the age-old phrase: “It takes a village to raise a child.” I appreciate it for my own children, for my school children, and for children I have yet to meet. Our identity and ownership is in advocacy and coordination of all the people in the village.

I appreciate all you do every day, for your little people and their village.
 
Contact Emily Sallee, OSCA president, at president@oscainc.org.