The Impact and Influence of the California School Counselor

And we’re off!

Typically, the opening of school is a moment of unquestionable excitement, but this year is like no other. There is still much uncertainty and concern as we continue addressing both COVID-19 and racial disparities. Now, more than ever, mental wellness and social justice are at the forefront of the educational experience and all I can say is, it is about time! As school counselors, leading these conversations remains critical – we are experts who marry both mental wellness and academic achievement. With school counselors contributing our expertise, three things happen: 

1. California students benefit as we ignite hope for a better tomorrow.
2. We position ourselves to effectively cement our relevance as educational leaders.
3. We grow the reputability of our school counseling programs.

As a current high school counselor, I understand our enormous responsibilities in working in collaboration with our administrators to meet the challenges of opening school and advocating for the work school counselors do. For example, I sent the new CASC guide, Covid-19 Planning Considerations and Resources: Addressing student mental health and trauma for school re-entry, to my principal. This is one way I sought to promote school counseling, engage school stakeholders in important conversations and highlight resources featured in this guide to underscore the importance of student mental health.

So, how do we make it through this year and how do we make a meaningful impact? 

As for my school counseling team, we continue to approach this year by preparing for “What’s next?” Our aim is to be flexible because the school environment is so unpredictable these days, so having an ebb-and-flow attitude as a state a mind goes a long way in minimizing stress.  Now, more than ever, staying on top of urgent matters and providing the school counselor lens to address barriers, resolve issues and connect with families using all forms of communication, including social media, is paramount.

Having the right attitude is only half the story. Determining the level of interventions needed for all students and administering a needs assessment is a strategy we are undertaking. Using this data, we will help enhance our curriculum and services to meet the targeted needs of our student population. Our counseling team has already prioritized an approach to how we will share the delivery outcomes of our core curriculum and counseling services with the school’s advisory council and the community.

Last, being that I am on this journey with you, I applaud your tireless dedication as we address the difficulties ahead. As your CASC president, I assure you that CASC operates unequivocally to advocate for, network together and professionally develop school counselors to grow the school counseling profession in numbers, influence and respect statewide. This October, CASC is excited to offer a virtual conference, “Revolution: Equity, Disparities, & Student Mental Health,” which is gearing up to be a series of meaningful conversations and workshops that, for the first time ever, expand beyond school counselors to benefit all California educators, administrators and school-based mental health providers. CASC will continue throughout this challenging year to use a variety of means to engage our professional network as we advocate, collaborate and educate for the betterment of California students. 
Looking ahead, my hope is that at the conclusion of this school year, I see you smiling, knowing you gave it your all, and your school community is celebrating the significant impact and influence of your school counseling program.

Contact Josh Godinez, CASC president, at josh.godinez@schoolcounselor-ca.org.