President’s Letter: Coping with Complexity

On behalf of the governing board of the West Virginia School Counselor Association, I thank all of those who made our 2018 Annual Conference in October the most highly attended conference by both sponsors/exhibitors and participants. We had the honor of welcoming Carolyn Stone, Ed.D., from the University of North Florida to the Mountain State to deliver an outstanding keynote on “Legal Literacy and Ethical Practice in the Complex World of School Counseling.” As always, she delivered a dynamic presentation that reminded school counselors that our role in the schools in extremely complex and that every court decision made outside of the school impacts our decision-making process.
 
During the conference, the WVSCA presented awards to recognize several individuals for their work and dedication to the school counseling profession.
 
2018 WVSCA School Counselor of the Year: Michael Ryan, Mountainview Elementary School
 
2018 WVSCA Counselor Educator of the Year: Monica Leppma, West Virginia University
 
2018 WVSCA Advocate of the Year: Delegate Mark Dean, WV House of Delegates
 
As part of her keynote presentation, Stone outlined the steps for a solution to ethical problems in schools; I have summarized these below.

1. Define the problem emotionally and intellectually
2. Apply the ASCA Ethical Standards, ACA Code of Ethics and the law
3. Consider the chronological and developmental levels
4. Consider the setting, parental rights and minors’ rights
5. Apply the moral principals
6. Determine the potential courses of action and their consequences
7. Evaluate the selected course of action
8. Consult
9. Implement the course of action

 This newsletter is dedicated to legal and ethical issues and explores this topic in depth. If you were unable to attend the 2108 WVSCA Annual Conference and would like a summary of Stone’s keynote presentation, please reach out to the WVSCA.
 
In February, the WVSCA will again host a Day on the Hill with legislators to speak on the role and impact that school counselors have in our schools on a daily basis. Please keep an eye on your email for further updates regarding the date and the legislative agenda that the WVSCA develops for this year. If you have an item that you feel the WVSCA should address via legislation, please email me at Rtench@mail.kana.k12.wv.us and we can add it to the list of discussion topics. If you are unable to join us for our legislative day, please take time to reach out to your representatives about the issues you are seeing in your schools and communities.
 
Thank you all for the work you do with students, families, schools, communities and beyond.
 
Contact Richard Tench, WVSCA president, at Rtench@mail.kana.k12.wv.us.