President's Letter: The Support You Need

I am super excited to give you some updates on the NMSCA Board’s progress on some really important things.

Thank you to all our members who have been providing us feedback about what school counselors want and need throughout the state. We are hearing loud and clear that you need to be more resourced. You want engaging, useful professional development (with CEs!) – and not just the day-long conference, but brief 1- to 2-hour trainings and support sessions as well. Members want more opportunities to connect and network with other school counselors, whether by social media or with informal grade-level meetings.

We hear you. As I write this, we are developing a plan to bring more professional development to members, in particular for topics like anxiety, ethics, mindfulness in school counseling, mediation and more. We are looking at both virtual and in-person options, and also study groups for relevant topics like Solution-Focused School Counseling and Equity in our School Counseling Program. We are continually updating our ASCA resources in the NM Toolkit. Board members have also been collaborating to create more resources around curriculum options at all grade levels.

Keep your eyes and inboxes open for updates and opportunities to participate. Let us know if there is a particular training you want to attend that you haven’t heard us mention. And reach out if you have a training or skill set that you would like to share with members.

It is clear that school counselors are doing amazing things throughout the state. We are also humans with other roles and responsibilities and passions outside of our schools. We can bring all the pieces of who we are to impact change on so many levels. A great example of this is in Vicki Price’s article, “Be the One.”  Allow her words and those of other contributors this month to provide inspiration and new perspective as we move through the remainder of the school year.

Reach out if you need anything; our board members are always open to connecting and collaborating. And remember, take care of your self today and every day.

Contact Kristin Reeder, NMSCA president, at president@nmschoolcounselor.org.