What is new in the school counseling field?

“A big topic right now is Comprehensive Developmental Guidance Programs. It’s a paradigm shift in the school counseling field. The old, stereotypical counselor who waits in their office for a child to be in crisis is long gone. This new model, which is endorsed by the American School Counselor Association and the Texas Education Agency, is a model that has school counselors out in the school and in the classroom – all for the betterment of the students.” 

Why should school counselors be educational leaders?

“The environment is to meet all students’ needs. Positioning a counselor as educational leader allows them to capitalize on their unique knowledge base and skill level – we try to set students up to be ready to handle a large-scale crisis on a school campus.” 

What is a solution-focused method?

“It’s a counseling model that has shown a lot of effectiveness in the school setting, from student misbehavior to dealing with a student whose grades are dropping. In my classroom, I try to connect theory to real-world situations, so that when they leave, they have been exposed to scenarios outside of the classroom.”