Interview With A Counselor At John H. Guyer High School
During an interview with Donna Jones, high school counselor, at John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, I was able to learn some of the many qualities a school counselor must exhibit on a daily bases. Prior to arranging the interviewed, I reviewed various articles and literature on the topic along with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) list of suggested questions to ask a counselor.
Feeling prepared, I conducted the interview at Ms. Jones’s office on Wednesday, June 8, 2016. The first thing I observed was the little to no distractions (ringing telephones, staff interruptions) in her office since school was not in session. During most school days, it is difficult to get school related questions asked and answered by her due to the volume of interruptions she experiences.
One of the first questions I asked of Ms. Jones was what did she see as her main role as a school counselor. I felt I had firsthand knowledge, because at my school each teacher of special education is required to carry a caseload of students. As case managers, we monitor their progress, grades, and assist them when problems arise along with insuring they graduate. Her answers mirrored my own personal experience in dealing with my caseload. Looking at the child as whole is vital to their success in …show more content…
school. As a counselor you provide support and find solutions in the areas of academics, behavior, social and emotional. She did state some parents want school counselors to provide individual counseling (personal communication, June 8, 2016). This is not something the school provides but referrals can be made to outside agencies.
The next question I asked of Ms.
Jones was related to the characteristics of a school counselor. What did she think was important? She agreed with my response of honesty, empathy and compassion, but added integrity. I would have to definitely agree with her. She said stated it was important to maintain distance too (personal communication, June 8, 2016). At this point in the interview, she started to share some personal experiences with me. One was related to a middle school child who was being sexually abused at home. The case went all the way to court but the parent was exonerated. You could tell when she was sharing the story with me, it still brought back unhappy
memories.
Being the inquisitive person I am, I wanted to learn more about actual experiences she had been through in her role as a school counselor. She did share another story of promising athlete who developed a disease in which he would slowly lose his eye sight. She said it was difficult for her to help him through the rest of his school years. Upon graduation, he gave her note saying he wouldn’t have gotten through it without her support (personal communication, June 8, 2016). However, the story did not end there. This student actually ended up going to the University of North Texas even though he was totally blind. One day, Ms. Jones’s daughter, who was attending the University of North Texas, was telling her about a professor she had who was blind. Yes, it was the young man Ms. Jones had back in middle school (personal communication, June 8, 2016). I’m re-telling this story in my paper to show how much impact a school counselor can have on an individual student.
Prior to her divulging these experiences I wondered to myself what would be most difficult for me. One type of situation which came to my mind would be pulling a student out of class to inform them of a loved one passing away. She stated in all her years of being a school counselor she has never had to do that. She added a relative would usually be the one who would tell the child (personal interview, June 8, 2016).
Another question I was eager to find out was how she dealt with conflict with colleagues, parents, or administration. I was quite intrigued by her answer. She stated you have to step back and look at the other person’s perception. She said, “your perception is your truth.” It took me a little while to fully understand what she meant. It is accurate. In another course I am taking for certification, we read an article about therapeutic relationship in counseling. One of the points in the article mentioned how a client responds to you as their counselor, whether their thoughts were real or perceived. Perception is not factual and can carry many bias but to the person it is what they believe.
Feeling prepared, I conducted the interview at Ms. Jones’s office on Wednesday, June 8, 2016. The first thing I observed was the little to no distractions (ringing telephones, staff interruptions) in her office since school was not in session. During most school days, it is difficult to get school related questions asked and answered by her due to the volume of interruptions she experiences.
One of the first questions I asked of Ms. Jones was what did she see as her main role as a school counselor. I felt I had firsthand knowledge, because at my school each teacher of special education is required to carry a caseload of students. As case managers, we monitor their progress, grades, and assist them when problems arise along with insuring they graduate. Her answers mirrored my own personal experience in dealing with my caseload. Looking at the child as whole is vital to their success in …show more content…
school. As a counselor you provide support and find solutions in the areas of academics, behavior, social and emotional. She did state some parents want school counselors to provide individual counseling (personal communication, June 8, 2016). This is not something the school provides but referrals can be made to outside agencies.
The next question I asked of Ms.
Jones was related to the characteristics of a school counselor. What did she think was important? She agreed with my response of honesty, empathy and compassion, but added integrity. I would have to definitely agree with her. She said stated it was important to maintain distance too (personal communication, June 8, 2016). At this point in the interview, she started to share some personal experiences with me. One was related to a middle school child who was being sexually abused at home. The case went all the way to court but the parent was exonerated. You could tell when she was sharing the story with me, it still brought back unhappy
memories.
Being the inquisitive person I am, I wanted to learn more about actual experiences she had been through in her role as a school counselor. She did share another story of promising athlete who developed a disease in which he would slowly lose his eye sight. She said it was difficult for her to help him through the rest of his school years. Upon graduation, he gave her note saying he wouldn’t have gotten through it without her support (personal communication, June 8, 2016). However, the story did not end there. This student actually ended up going to the University of North Texas even though he was totally blind. One day, Ms. Jones’s daughter, who was attending the University of North Texas, was telling her about a professor she had who was blind. Yes, it was the young man Ms. Jones had back in middle school (personal communication, June 8, 2016). I’m re-telling this story in my paper to show how much impact a school counselor can have on an individual student.
Prior to her divulging these experiences I wondered to myself what would be most difficult for me. One type of situation which came to my mind would be pulling a student out of class to inform them of a loved one passing away. She stated in all her years of being a school counselor she has never had to do that. She added a relative would usually be the one who would tell the child (personal interview, June 8, 2016).
Another question I was eager to find out was how she dealt with conflict with colleagues, parents, or administration. I was quite intrigued by her answer. She stated you have to step back and look at the other person’s perception. She said, “your perception is your truth.” It took me a little while to fully understand what she meant. It is accurate. In another course I am taking for certification, we read an article about therapeutic relationship in counseling. One of the points in the article mentioned how a client responds to you as their counselor, whether their thoughts were real or perceived. Perception is not factual and can carry many bias but to the person it is what they believe.