Choice Interview with a Guidance Counselor

Choice Interview with Ms. Woods the Guidance Counselor

Me How long have you worked at LD?

Ms. Woods: I've been at LD for three years now.  I'll stay with the same class throughout their time here.  This year I am the 10th graders counselor.   Last year, I was the 9th grade counselor and so on and so forth.

Me:  I'm unfamiliar with the duties of a guidance counselor.  I was rarely at mine when I was in school.  Could you tell me a little bit about your role?

Ms. Woods:  Me too.  I work mainly with academic issues.  I help kids sort through their schedules.  Teachers refer me to their students if they are having emotional issues.

Me : Are you somewhat like a psychologist or psychiatrist then?

Ms. Woods:  Not at all.  I have a Master's Degree in School Counseling, which is not at all like psychiatry or psychology. 

Me: Are their any students that you see regularly?

Ms. Woods:  Not so far this semester.  Often if a student needs that much assistance I will refer them out to another professional.  I don't want to take away too much from their class time.  I will pick study halls to speak with them or some other time where they are not busy.

Me:  I'm currently tutoring a student who said he spoke with a guidance counselor regarding his difficulty taking tests.  He said he was told that he seems to have anxiety when it comes to taking tests.  I advised him to try other strategies for studying and to use a piece of scratch paper to write things down when testing to sort of unblock his mind.  He seemed defensive about changing his style.

Ms. Woods:  That's exactly what I would do.  Offer strategies.  We aren't experts, after all, and we don't know exactly what the solution is to a student's problem.  All we can do is tell them what we know and offer solutions based on our own experience.

Me:  Do you deal with discipline problems?

Ms. Woods:  That's really not a part of my job.  The principal really makes or breaks my job.  Thankfully, we have a very good one, and I only sometimes deal with that when they feel I can be helpful.  In some schools, the counselors are assigned all sorts of duties that really shouldn't be a part of what we do - PSSA testing, aid work, etc.

Me: What are your future plans?  I know some counselors go on to become principals.

Ms. Woods:  Because of the discipline part, I really have no interest in ever becoming a principal.  I think of going on to get my Ph. D. or another degree but right now I'm really happy where I am.  Some of the other counselors call themselves lifers, meaning they are happy at LD and just want to do this job forever. 

Me:  I've never had that sort of job satifaction.  I cannot even imagine what that's like.

Ms. Woods:  Me neither and I now what you mean.  But, I really do like my job.  Just like teachers, I need to take classes and attend seminars regularly.

Me:  Did you have to undergo a student counseling internship similar to student teaching?

Ms. Woods: Yes.  I sat in with a counselor for two semesters and was assigned students who my mentor felt might be comfortable with me.

The End