School counselors celebrated Feb. 5-10
In a proclamation declaring the week of Feb. 5-10 to be School Counseling Week in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem outlined the important roles that school counselors play in education.
“School counselors are committed to helping students explore their abilities, strengths, interests, and talents as these traits relate to career awareness and development,” her proclamation reads. “School counselors work with teachers and other educators to help students succeed in school and set realistic goals for themselves.”
School counselors are a vital part of K-12 education, said Andrea Effling, the school counseling and student support specialist for the Department of Education (DOE). “They foster skill development in learning strategies, self-management, and social skills through classroom instruction, short-term group counseling, and individual work with students.”
The breadth of a school counselor’s responsibility is wide – these professionals help students make sense of their present while they make plans for their future.
Another role school counselors fulfill is that of collaborator. “School counselors consult and collaborate with families, teachers, administrators, other school staff and community organizations to support student achievement and success,” said Effling.
Andrea Junker, a school counselor for Harrisburg South Middle School, is the South Dakota School Counselor of the Year. Since counselors are involved in students’ lives in so many ways, an important trait that school counselors must have is flexibility. “We wear a lot of different hats,” Junker said. “You have to be up for change. It’s a very fast-paced environment.”
Sometimes, students come to school with difficulties beyond the school counselor’s scope. In those cases, they make referrals to outside resources. “I’m very blessed in that I get to work with kids who are going through hard things that are out of their control,” said Junker. “That’s where connecting with different agencies and social workers becomes important. I work with SROs (School Resource Officers) and special education teachers a lot. I work really hard to get those outside counselors in the school to help kids as well. Knowing that I can rely on clinicians that our kids and families need is so helpful.”
If you know a school counselor, be sure to take time to thank them. If you are a school counselor, thank you for supporting students and teachers in all the ways you do.