Running head: PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR INTERVIEW 1

Professional School Counselor Interview

Lauren Hudon

Montclair State University

PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR INTERVIEW 2

Abstract

This paper is an interview of one of Ramsey High Schools school counselors, as well as a

reflection of individual professional goals. In reading this paper, you will get a better

understanding of the background, experience, practice, and personal reflections of this individual

whose initials have been changed to protect their confidentiality. You will also learn about

Ramsey High Schools framework model, as described by the district board of education, in

comparison to the ASCA National Model.

Professional School Counselor Interview

As a response to my curiosity about what kind of counselors the Ramsey School District

hires (in hopes that I may someday get a position as a school counselor there) I was fortunate

enough to have the opportunity to interview another counselor from the Ramsey High School

guidance department. The woman I interviewed, J.D., not unlike my first interview with my own

counselor from my four years at RHS, was extremely well seasoned. She began working as a

school counselor at Ramsey High School 28 years ago, after a short-lived career in teaching. She

realized teaching wasnt something she was genuinely passionate about. She explained that

although she was content with her teaching job, she wanted to make a bigger difference in
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students lives. She also admitted that her career change had to do with the money. She was not

happy with her salary and was advised that there may be more room for growth in counseling,

and she could still reap the benefits of working in a school. When I asked her about her

educational path to becoming a school counselor, she explained that after leaving her teaching

job, she became involved in college admissions part time, where she discovered she could take

classes that would be fully covered if she took a full time position at the university. She made it

very clear that she would not have been able to afford to pay for the school-counseling program

had she not been given that opportunity.

Practice and Professional Development

As far as direct and indirect services, she noted how she wished she had more opportunities

to work directly with students, and she said that if she had to estimate, her work is broken down

into roughly 20% direct and 80% indirect services. However, she also explained that there was

no such thing as a typical week in her department. It could very well be 50/50 some weeks,

and there will be some weeks where I wont see students at all, it really depends on the time of

year and what other things we have going on (J.D. personal interview, 2016). She gave me some

examples of when emergencies happen, and everything you are working on in that moment is no

longer a priority. One example she gave was about a student a several years ago who committed

suicide and the counselors became a sort of crisis management team. It is situations like that

where everything you learn and all of your experience with actual one on one counseling

becomes critical, she says. As far as her rough 30/70 estimation, she elaborated and explained

that a lot of work that she does is definitely administrative (scheduling/ data entry/ college apps)

however, there are times where a student comes into her office asking for a schedule change,

when in reality they are having alternate problems that they are trying to get away from by

changing their classes.

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During this school year, she shared how the guidance department is working in collaboration

with the health teachers to create some sort of assembly on the heroin epidemic that has taken

several students from not only Ramsey but also the towns surrounding it. The planning team was

formed towards the middle of last year, and they are hoping to implement a program sometime in

the spring. She also explained that although her background does not involve much substance

abuse/ addiction, she keeps up with the literature in the field in order to be knowledgeable when

a student is having these types of issues comes into her office. She told me that this role is an

important one because she wants to be able to prevent the pain and suffering that comes when a

student overdoses. I was really happy to hear that this is something she is able to do for the

students, because I also have an interest in the substance abuse field and hope that one day I can

use some of my knowledge to help students struggling with substance abuse.

When I asked about her relationship with certain stakeholders, she shared that there have

only been a handful of instances where she has worked with an outside agency, because most of

those cases go through the school psychologist. However, she pressed how often she works with

parents, caregivers, and teachers on a daily basis. Her biggest issue with parents was that

although the parents are really such a critical piece in their childs educational path, even some

of the best intentioned parents can be detrimental to their childs educational development and

that is very upsetting. Her relationship with the teachers is a challenge, because getting them to

trust you is one of the biggest hurdles in getting them on your side. Building a bridge of

communication is crucial in that level of trust needed when a student is struggling. A lot of the

time they think that we are fighting against them but in reality we are advocating for the student

AND all parties involved (J.D. personal interview, 2016).

As far as professional development, I was surprised with how active she was in staying

up to date and relevant in the counseling field. After hearing such horror stories about my peers
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experiences with their school counselors, I was shocked to hear that although shes been in the

field for almost 30 years, she still follows the current research. This was really reassuring to hear

because it shows that there are still counselors out there that actually care about the profession

and want to be the best that they can be. She also said that her and several of the other counselors

in her office attend professional development conferences and meetings for organizations such as

NJSCA, which also helps with staying informed on what is going on in the field.
When I asked her to share what type of self-care activities she engages in I was really

surprised with her answer. She was almost confused as to what I meant. When I put in into the

terms what do you do to prevent yourself from burning out she understood more clearly. She

explained that she loves her dogs, and animals in general, so bringing them on walks is

something she often does to de-stress. I was so happy with this answer because it is something

that I also do to de-stress when Im overwhelmed.

Reflections and Recommendations
Similarly to my last counselor interview, I was most intrigued by the advice I received

when I asked about what she would recommend for someone going into the field. Her two

biggest recommendations were to get as much experience as possible, and to be comfortable

working with parents often. She said that she has definitely used a lot of her counseling skills

with anxious parents, so being confident and comfortable is key. Another piece of advice that

was new to me, was to make sure you have a good relationship with the principal. She explained

that a lot of the time when there are disciplinary cases, the principal or vice principal is involved,

and you definitely want to be on the same page as them.

Personal Reflections
Reactions to Content and Counselor

I really appreciated doing this interview, especially after completing a similar assignment

in my intro class. I think that interviewing several counselors is not only beneficial to someone
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going into the field but crucial in terms of learning what policies certain districts may or may not

have in place as far as a counseling framework model. Part of the interview that really stuck with

me was idea of the open door policy in the high school. I think this was so appealing to me

because it showed how much the counselors care about their students, they are willing to drop

anything to see a student that is having some sort of personal issue and to me that is a very

respectable element in a school counseling program.

What I Learned and the Impact on Professional Goals

My first observation was that this individual (not unlike the first I had interviewed) was

very well seasoned. With almost 28 years of experience under her belt, I started to realize that

landing my dream career in the Ramsey School district was unlikely. That realization became a

reality when I broached the topic of recommendations for an individual (like myself) going into

the school-counseling field. Dont go into a career like this at age 24, empty handed (J.D.

personal interview, 2016). I think that this really made me worry about my own goals, because

Ive heard time and time again that the only opportunities right now for school counselors are in

urban districts. While I would love to experience that type of environment and population, Im

not sure that is somewhere that I want to work for the rest of my life. I have always pictured

myself working somewhere similar to where I grew up, because my experience as a student was

so great, I want to be able to give my students the same experience.

Impressions of Framework Model

The only framework that she could think of was the districts policy on counseling that

they have on file from the Board of Education. My first impression was not a good one, as weve

learned how crucial a foundational framework is for the development of a successful counseling

program. The fact that she couldnt even explain off the top of her head was concerning to me.
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However, when she pulled up the document for me to glance over I was pleased to see that there

was somewhat of a framework in place. In all of the Ramsey schools, the guidance program

must follow certain policies that are listed in the document. The following is part of the

framework directly stated from the Board of Education, that I found best aligns with what we are

learning in regards to a counseling framework model:

The Board of Education requires that a planned program of guidance and counseling be

an integral part of the educational program of the schools to assist pupils in making and

implementing informed educational and occupational choices including academic, career

and personal/social development. A program of guidance and counseling, including

developmental career guidance and exploration, shall be offered to all pupils in this

school district and shall be conducted entirely by teaching staff members certified as

guidance personnel.

From what I gathered, there were several strengths and weaknesses that I could assess

from the short time I had looking at this program framework document (she couldnt print out a

copy for me to take, but I did take some notes). Drawing from what Ive learned from the ASCA

model in our class readings, I saw a lot of similarities between that and the programs policy. The

first element that stuck out to me was honoring the individuality of each pupil. I immediately

thought back to the reading on program goals in the ASCA (2012) book. Program goals are

statements about specific student outcomes and I found that a lot of the policies from the

document I was shown align very well with the program goals in the ASCA model. Some of the

other policies that were relevant to what ASCA considers to be successful program goals were:

integrating counseling with the total educational program, coordination with available resources

in the community, cooperation of staff, parents, guardians and shares concerns with these groups
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for the development of their children, providing information, prohibiting biased counseling and

providing equal services to all students, and the establishment of a referral system.

I think that although this document was not officially labeled as being a framework

model, it might as well have been. I also think that this should be shared publically on their

website so that parents, caregivers, and other stakeholders can see what the job of a school

counselor entails. Part of the problem that Ive noticed, is that school counselors are completely

misunderstood. If a framework is laid out for the public to see I think that the school counseling

department will no longer be viewed as just data entry, administrative workers, but as actual

counselors whose main goal is to see the best possible outcome for the students they serve.

References

ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs. (2012). Alexandria VA:

American School Counselor Association.

J. D. (2016, October 7). Professional School Counselor Interview [Personal interview].