Throughout high school, students visit their high school counselors for various reasons consisting mainly of “Help with college applications, recommendations, school, and to talk about life as well” (Lisette Rinnen). While these are prevalent dilemmas that initially draw students to a counselor’s office, there is so much more a high school counselor can do for a student as well as a few things a student can do for their counselor.
For starters, high school counselors are the ideal starting point when looking for help. high school counselors do a lot behind the scenes, and this helps them become acquainted with most of the staff as well as many outside sources. Their numerous connections inside as well as outside of the school make them dependable for pointing students in the right direction.
high school counselors are a great starting point for questions about anything Academic, This includes high school planning, Scheduling, Study skills & techniques, Organizational strategies, Grade check-ins, Credit recovery, Graduation credit checks, and Forecasting. Many of the items listed are hardships students face while going through high school, but, students don’t have to go through it alone; their high school counselors have the knowledge and ability to help with any of these tasks.
High school counselors are also regularly asked for assistance with Social / Emotional topics including Managing stress, Grief & loss, Mental health, Family issues, Relationships, Conflict resolution, Crisis intervention, and Community referrals. While these items might not always be as directly linked with school, they are still a part of human nature. School is generally meant to be a calm place for students to learn alongside one another and grow in their intelligence. However, this is not always the case, for some students, it can bring with it extensive amounts of stress and anxiety. By talking to their high school counselors a student might have the ability to change their schedule to help avoid any extra stress or anxiety.
A few of the reasons students might feel more comfortable talking to a counselor rather than a fellow student or an adult is due to their confidentiality agreements. A counselor cannot tell anyone about anything a student tells them while they are talking in private without the students expressed permission, unless, it is potentially harmful to the student or anyone else. Another reason is, “I think just family dynamics in our country right now, we might love our parents but we don’t want to talk to them about sensitive stuff.” (Kirin Casteel) Students often feel very close to their friends and family, however, they might not feel comfortable talking to them about things they are going through or what they are feeling. A high school counselor gives them the option of someone they are not directly connected with as well as someone who will not tell anyone else. High school counselors can also help the student resolve the problem as well as manage their emotions.
While high school counselors are always willing to help students, they also could use a little help from the students; “I think just like being honest … it just makes it harder for me to help them if I don’t know what’s really going on.” (Elizabeth Rollman) Another way students can help there counselor is, “come to us first” (Sarah Warta) Go to them first rather than wait for the situation to get worse. They do want to talk and are very willing to help but are also very busy and might not always know when something is up.
