Sandi Logan

Often times, I hear adults make statements such as “Oh, yea, I remember my guidance counselor” or “I never saw my guidance counselor; I didn’t need to.” And maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine, but I get irritated by this. Perhaps in the past the term ‘guidance counselor’ was appropriate. Students and even the general public held the belief that a guidance counselor was simply present to provide guidance and advice. A high school guidance counselor simply sat in their office and met with students who needed help deciding on classes to take. Or perhaps, a student in distress would see the guidance counselor to ask for advice about what to do. On the whole, the guidance counselor was available, if you sought out such a resource. In the early to mid-1900’s, a list of duties was identified for counselors. The 1950’s to 1970’s school counseling began to form a foundation for development of a program. Counselors were seen as a part of a system: the school system. By the 1980’s to 1990’s, developing, organizing, and managing a school counseling program began to cultivate.

What do you do when you enter a position as a professional school counselor with no job description, job evaluation, or head counselor supervision? You develop the program to be what you want it to be. Well, what I wanted was a comprehensive school counseling program at a small K-8 school district in Southern California. I began my mission by emphasizing to administration the importance of acknowledging the three domains of our work, as addressed in ASCA’s national standards: Academic, Career, and Personal/Social. Quickly into my first year, I realized how important it was for others to truly understand what the role of a school counselor is. So, I attended staff meetings and provided updates as to what issues I was noticing were prevalent in my office. One by one, I entered classrooms to introduce myself to staff members and attempt to make a personal connection with each educator, as well as with the front office staff.