This is a hard one for me to write. When I think about why it’s hard, I immediately think about the school counseling profession and how much I love it. This career is what I have wanted and worked for. It’s challenging, fun, fast-paced, requires flexibility and humor, and is so, so rewarding. It can break your heart and make you smile all in the same hour.
This profession also requires constant learning and advocacy. In the seven years that I’ve been a School Counselor, I have learned so many things about serving my students and been humbled by the things I do not yet know. One thing I’m sure of, though, is the need for constant and repetitive advocacy for our profession.
If it’s not advocating for the name change from guidance counselor to School Counselor, it’s advocating for appropriate job responsibilities that align with our training and ethics. If it’s not advocating for more direct service time, it’s advocating for fewer lunch duties, smaller caseloads, or to not be written into 504 plans.
The biggie for me, at least lately, is advocating for the need to have a certified/licensed School Counselor in the role of the School Counselor. Seems straightforward, right? Well, it becomes murky when districts put non-School Counselors in that role, either to meet other needs or because they truly don’t know any better.
Enter my current reality. Only in my case, I have done the needed advocacy for more school counseling services. I have collected the data, analyzed the data, made it into pretty charts, and shared it when asked and even when not asked. I have spoken up, met with my admin, educated about my role over and over again, answered questions about why the role of a social worker is different than that of a School Counselor (and shielded scorn when people play the “who’s more qualified?” game).
And yet, it seems my advocacy has not lead to more effective school counseling services.
In fact, it feels like my advocacy has lead me backwards.
I am tired.
Is this why so many School Counselors leave the profession? Or leave their school(s)?
Advocating can feel like a full-time job in itself, in a job that’s already very full. Advocating can also feel a bit like banging your head against a wall. It’s messy and it’s unfair. And still, it’s necessary.
So, onward I go.
One of the ways I use my blog is to share about hot topics in school counseling, and the dark side of advocacy is certainly one of them. Writing it down and sharing my words is cathartic and scary. I can only hope that by putting myself out there, I can connect with and inspire other School Counselors to keep on keepin’ on.
If you ever feel like you’re in the dark, let this be a tiny bit of light.
Thanks for reading and understanding. I needed this.
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