President’s Letter: Get Creative and Share

Hello, Arizona school counselors, and welcome back! I am excited to serve as your AzSCA Chair for the 2019-2020 school year. Last year was an exciting one for school counselors in Arizona as we celebrated some major accomplishments including more funding for school counselors, defining the role of a school counselor in state statute and changes to our certification language. Thank you to everyone statewide who contributed to our efforts by calling, writing and connecting with your elected officials. Our voices were heard!

Now that we’re settling into the year, this is when the magic starts to happen. This is where we show our community what we do. Gone are the days of “guidance counselors” sitting behind their desks waiting for students to come see them. We are school counselors who are trained to support students in the academic, social/emotional and career domains. We are out in the classrooms collaborating with our teachers, administrators and other staff to support all students.

With this huge but wonderful task, I love hearing about all the creative ways our school counselors work with our students. From restorative practices to yoga, from art to technology, our school counselors never cease to amaze me. At the elementary levels we see engaging classroom lessons using bibliocounseling to teach our younger students about tattling, growth mindset, emotion management and how to treat your friends. At the middle schools we see the innovative practice of implementing yoga instead of detention to change student behavior. At the high school level our counselors maximize their face time with students by utilizing Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams to get information to students before they meet with them face-to-face in the classroom, during small groups or in one-on-one meetings.

School counselors are caring, compassionate, creative people who love continuing to improve their school counseling programs. It is imperative that we keep educating ourselves on new and creative ways to help our students grow. Please take time this year to learn from others. I encourage you to try something new. We are constantly urging our students to get out of their comfort zones – we need to do the same. Try a new lesson. Incorporate new technology or art. Start a yoga or breathing group.

And when you do, share. Share with your teachers, your administrators and your fellow school counselors. Share your stories, pictures, and creative counseling techniques with us on Facebook (AzSCA Inc.) or on Twitter (@AzSCA). We will continue to advocate for the importance, value and need for school counselors by promoting and celebrating the work you do every day.

Contact Amanda Nolasco, AzSCA chair, at amandanolasco76@gmail.com.