My Philosophy Statement:
My philosophy as a school counselor is that an environment must be created in which students feel safe to be themselves and learn necessary skills to succeed in school and continue on their desired path. For adolescents to feel safe they must know themselves as well as be able to get along with and co-exist with their peers in the school environment in addition to the outside community. In order for them to learn and acquire skills students must understand the relationship between academics and being a part of society at large.
The school as a whole should be a safe environment and most importantly the counselor’s office should be a safe space. It is necessary for students to know and accept themselves. As a counselor, helping students to identify their values, attitudes, and beliefs this can be accomplished. With this knowledge comes the encouragement of having a positive attitude about what one believes in and values. The counselors role is to encourage students to explore what they value and why. Students will recognize that they are different from their peers, which leads to needing interpersonal skills. The counselor must help students recognize that there are individual differences and cultural diversity in the school and outside of the school. With this recognition comes the necessity of respect. Students must respect individual differences and this can be achieved by the counselor having an open, knowledgeable, and respectful dialogue about diversity. There is a vast amount of pressure to conform and fit in. By celebrating differences students will feel welcome even if they aren’t the norm. The counselor must be an advocate of celebrating differences by not shying away from topics such as racism, gender non-conformity, and sexual orientation. When the counselor is open about these difficult topics it will hopefully make the students trust and confide in the counselor. The most important part of creating a safe space is trust. Forming a relationship with the students is a necessity. Trust is formed by being open, non-judgmental, and maintaining confidentiality.
While first and foremost a safe and trusting environment must be created, academic achievement must be stressed as well. The counselor needs to ensure students understand that how they do academically, as well as socially, has a relationship to the outside community and the world of work. The counselor will do this by explaining goal setting to students. Students will see that there are many steps to reaching a goal and a lot of the time getting good grades and finishing school is the first step to getting into the work force and being productive members of society. Informing students that academic success is essential leads to the necessity of showing them ways to succeed. The school counselor will not only talk to students about study skills but also set up study groups and advocate for students who may need extra attention and help in certain subjects. Being an advocate means the counselor will have strong relationships not only with the students they strive to know well but also with the teachers and administrators to ensure that the best interest of the student is what gets put first. The counselor not only monitors academic success but also makes sure the student is on track to graduate and feels prepared for college and/or the work force.
Above all the school counselor is an advocate for students. The students come first in a school setting and the school counselor is there to make sure everything that can be done is done for the students to succeed and feel safe in their school. The school counselor creates a learning environment that students feel safe and welcome in so that learning, respecting others, and achieving academic success can take place. The school counselor does this by being an example of a respectful and successful community member, showing students that they have the answers within them and striving to bring out the best in each student, and being there for the students to talk to, sit with, and learn with.
The school as a whole should be a safe environment and most importantly the counselor’s office should be a safe space. It is necessary for students to know and accept themselves. As a counselor, helping students to identify their values, attitudes, and beliefs this can be accomplished. With this knowledge comes the encouragement of having a positive attitude about what one believes in and values. The counselors role is to encourage students to explore what they value and why. Students will recognize that they are different from their peers, which leads to needing interpersonal skills. The counselor must help students recognize that there are individual differences and cultural diversity in the school and outside of the school. With this recognition comes the necessity of respect. Students must respect individual differences and this can be achieved by the counselor having an open, knowledgeable, and respectful dialogue about diversity. There is a vast amount of pressure to conform and fit in. By celebrating differences students will feel welcome even if they aren’t the norm. The counselor must be an advocate of celebrating differences by not shying away from topics such as racism, gender non-conformity, and sexual orientation. When the counselor is open about these difficult topics it will hopefully make the students trust and confide in the counselor. The most important part of creating a safe space is trust. Forming a relationship with the students is a necessity. Trust is formed by being open, non-judgmental, and maintaining confidentiality.
While first and foremost a safe and trusting environment must be created, academic achievement must be stressed as well. The counselor needs to ensure students understand that how they do academically, as well as socially, has a relationship to the outside community and the world of work. The counselor will do this by explaining goal setting to students. Students will see that there are many steps to reaching a goal and a lot of the time getting good grades and finishing school is the first step to getting into the work force and being productive members of society. Informing students that academic success is essential leads to the necessity of showing them ways to succeed. The school counselor will not only talk to students about study skills but also set up study groups and advocate for students who may need extra attention and help in certain subjects. Being an advocate means the counselor will have strong relationships not only with the students they strive to know well but also with the teachers and administrators to ensure that the best interest of the student is what gets put first. The counselor not only monitors academic success but also makes sure the student is on track to graduate and feels prepared for college and/or the work force.
Above all the school counselor is an advocate for students. The students come first in a school setting and the school counselor is there to make sure everything that can be done is done for the students to succeed and feel safe in their school. The school counselor creates a learning environment that students feel safe and welcome in so that learning, respecting others, and achieving academic success can take place. The school counselor does this by being an example of a respectful and successful community member, showing students that they have the answers within them and striving to bring out the best in each student, and being there for the students to talk to, sit with, and learn with.