Episode 23: A School Counselor’s Work is Never Done

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. School counselors make a difference in young lives throughout Jordan School District every single day. But do you know what they really do? Let's head to the halls of West Jordan Middle School and see some middle school students.

Student:
School counselors help with any kids that have a problem, emotionally or physically. They also discuss many things for our future and education. They are someone that could probably change your classes, the school counselor. like if you have problems, you can go to school counselor and talk to them. Counselors are someone that helps you get through class. Go to the school counselor to take honor classes and AP classes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Today we're celebrating school counselors. If you've ever wondered what they really do, how they can help parents and students, this episode of the Supercast is for you. We're about to dispel the myths and explain all the ways counselors can help you and your students. Here to tell us about the important work being done is Secondary Counseling Specialist, Stacee Worthen. Stacee, welcome to the Supercast.

Stacee:
Thank you Superintendent.

Anthony Godfrey:
So all of us have been to school. We've been to middle school. We've been to high school. We've met with counselors at various times, but things change over time. And many times, as adults we think, well, I went to high school. I know what high school was like. And so we may all think that we know what counselors do, right? Can you help us understand better what does the modern middle and high school counselor do these days? How do they help kids?

Stacee:
That's a good question, because counselors wear many hats. A lot of parents will just assume that counselors are academic advisors, scholarship advisors. But what counselors do is so much more. We actually are trained to look at the whole person. So as that student comes in, we might be doing a schedule change, but we're looking at that whole student as an individual, as we're looking at their schedule. We're looking at why does this child want a schedule change? Do they need to be challenged? Do they need to be put into AP courses? Do they need concurrent? Is that a better fit? Are they having some learning issues that maybe we need to work with the teachers to see if there are some interventions that we can put into place? Maybe we need to implement some Special Ed testing because we see some disparities in how they're doing in specific classes.

We also do groups. We run groups. We look at anytime a student is struggling with stress, anxiety, suicidal ideation, where that mental health support within the school that can really start meeting in a responsive, quick way to get that student some help. Initially, maybe we're doing some cognitive behavioral training, some techniques with that student to try and get them back into class to be successful. Or maybe we're calling the parents to work with the student to maybe implement something that's a little bit more involved. Maybe we're giving some references to some counseling that might be more long-term and beneficial for that student. Maybe we're referring to our in-school LCSW to give them some supports that way. There's just really a lot of things we're doing now that I think weren't done when we were in high school.

I never saw my school counselor. I didn't even know who that person was. I just went there for schedule change. Now, there's a framework that's in place. We were able to look at the whole child. Start with where they're at. If they're struggling with social or emotional behavioral, we start there. If they're being successful and they have a career path that they're interested in, we're supporting them by giving them some more opportunities for classes for our JATC South or JATC North, Concurrent Enrollment, those types of things. So really, we do a lot more than most people would think.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not only is a counselor able to connect students to other resources that might help them, whatever their situation may be. But I think we underestimate the resource that the counselors themselves can be to students beyond just a schedule change or scholarship information. They can provide support in crisis or just to bounce things off of so we don't get to a crisis. And I know that counselors have worked very hard to structure CounselingCenters so that they are constantly availability for someone who drops in and has an immediate need.

Stacee:
Right. And I think that what you're going to look at statistically is that support school counseling is what students say. If they have one adult in the building that they can go and talk to when they are struggling, then it's timely and they're responsive to that child's needs. Then they are much more successful longterm in school.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what's nice about the position of a counselor is that it's a unique position to be able to help a student. I've been a teacher, I've been an Assistant Principal. I've been a Principal. I've never been a counselor. But in each of those roles, I relied on counselors to reach kids in a way that I wasn't able to in the role that I was playing.

Stacee:
Right. Right. Because nothing that school counselors are doing is punitive, right? We're there to support, empower, just be a listening ear, get to know the student. That's one of my favorite things in working with kids is just getting to know them. Sometimes counselors say, I'm not just a schedule changer, but this is one really awesome opportunity for me to get to know kids. So, you know, they come in wearing a cross country tee shirt. Hey, are you on the cross country team? And once that student has that connection, like I'm interested in their life, I'm interested in getting to know them, then they know that they have one more adult that if they're having a bad day, maybe they broke up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or maybe they failed a quiz. I'm that one adult in the building, you know, that this is a safe place for me. I can just go, I can take a deep breath, step away for a second, have an adult who's just there to listen. And then I can go back to my everyday.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why not? What would you say are some of the myths around school counselors? What do people misunderstand about the role of the school counselor would you say?

Stacee:
I think that we're just schedule changers. We're just there to build a schedule, that we're just there to to do academic advising or that we know everything about college and universities and scholarships. I think that that's kind of a myth. I think that another important myth is that we don't provide mental health services to students. That is most of our training. If you look at the University of Utah, their actual program for school counselors is 90% mental health based training. And I think that's one of the biggest myths we're encountering is that school counselors don't do mental health. We actually are trained and we do that. It's just not long-term. It's not something that we can do an hour a week, every week for 10 weeks.

Anthony Godfrey:
And if there is a need beyond what a School Counselor is immediately able to provide, we're able to refer parents and students out to other resources and have a lot of connections to allow us to access help.

Stacee:
Absolutely. We have a long list of mental health providers available to all of our Jordan School District students. We also have the Jordan Family Ed that we can refer to and they can receive services there for mental health. We have a lot of access points for students and parents as school counselors that if we feel there's something, in addition, to what we're doing that a child needs, we can absolutely do that for that parent and for that student.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if a parent is worried about their child and would like a counselor to meet with them, what's the best way to make sure that happens?

Stacee:
The best way is to call and schedule an appointment to meet face-to-face with that counselor. I wouldn't drop in. I would absolutely call first and schedule an appointment. You can call, or you can email. Just contact that counselor and ask them to make it contact with your student. And I would think that they can make it routine. They don't need to say your mother called and would like me to meet with you. They're counselors. They know how to make that smooth transition, and make that point of contact and get that started.  Because of course, you know, if you say, Oh, your dad called, and he's saying that you're struggling with this and that, or you broke up with your girlfriend, right now. Absolutely we're going to just say, Hey, I just wanted to check on you, see how you're doing? Like, how are you transitioning to Copper Hills High School? Or how are you doing here at Riverton, whatever, wherever they are, right?

Anthony Godfrey:
The helicopter of anxiety is flying around. But once the student gets in the counselor's office, there is a landing pad for that anxiety to find a rest spot. I think that our counselors are awesome. You just get a student in there with the counselor and that opportunity is going to be created for the student to kind of unload, make a connection. So I guess I would just say to parents listening, I would encourage you to contact the school counselor and have them reach out to your child and just call them down and say, how are things going? If you're worried about your child at all, it's a great way to get some support.

Stacee:
Yeah, absolutely. Counselors go into the business because they love kids and they want to see them be successful. And you develop connections with those kids because you love them and want to see them succeed . And Jordan School District counselors are amazing, and they're really doing some really great, amazing, cool things. We've got some schools with some Wellness Rooms, we've got groups that are going, we've got all sorts of supports in place that counselors have access to that they're working on to try and help these kids be successful because they love kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we head out to West Jordan Middle School and West Jordan High School to talk with a few counselors.

Break:
If you're always looking for opportunities to learn something new, why not join us for the next Jordan Parent University? Jordan Parent University is an opportunity for parents to better understand issues that impact their own students and education. It's an evening class designed to help parents with things like planning for the road beyond high school, better understanding students' social and emotional health and wellness. And knowing who to call when there are issues involving a school or a student. Jordan Parent University is free and open to the public. For a list of upcoming classes, times and locations go to http://jpu.jordandistrict.org. See you there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Mark Jones at West Jordan Middle School for National School Counseling Week. First of all, happy National School Counseling Week.

Mark:
Thanks. It's a good week.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is a good week. How long have you been a school counselor?

Mark:
About 10 years.

Anthony Godfrey:
10 years. Where have you been?

Mark:
I did two years in Davis County, and then I chose wisely and headed down this direction and have been at West Jordan Middle ever since.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're glad you're here.

Mark:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what do you like most about being a school counselor?

Mark:
Just all the different jobs, meeting, all the different people, constantly moving and changing. And you get to see a lot of the success stories, which is fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you wish parents and kids knew about being a counselor?

Mark:
Oh, just so many resources are available to parents and students. And the first thing that comes to mind is he'll change my schedule and you know, four weeks a year, that is what we do. But the rest of the time, there's so many free college programs and free community programs. And, you know, we all could use some help with one thing or another. It's available. It's there, just reach out. There's a lot that we do down here, a lot we can help.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are the ways that you interact with parents as a school counselor?

Mark:
Well, we certainly host a few nights during the school year where we bring them out and introduce them to some of these programs. We invite them for the four-year planning meetings we do with the students where we go over colleges and career options and different pathways. Those are probably the two biggest in middle school.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if a parent wanted to contact you, is it better to call, email, just drop in or schedule an appointment? What's the best way?

Mark:
All the above. You can just drop in, you can call. If you go to our website, you'll see our smiling faces. If you click on that, it brings up a form, you fill that out, hit submit and it comes right to our screen. And then we'll touch base and set something up.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Now we're here with Rochelle Watson at the West Jordan High School Counseling Center. All of the offices I ever go into, counselor offices are very inviting. And  you have Kermit the Frog with the light saber and Ms. Piggy as "Pigcess Lea", a pink princess. However you wanna say that.  Very nice. Tell me, how long have you been a counselor here at West Jordan?

Rochelle:
This is my seventh year.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what made you want to become a school counselor?

Rochelle:
I had a really fantastic school counselor when I was in high school that I never forgot. He did a lot to help me and my whole life and the trajectory of my life. And so I always thought this would be something that I would like to do myself.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful. What do you like most about being a school counselor? You just like working with the kids?

Rochelle:
I love being able to get to know them and their families and really helping them in meaningful ways.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's great. Thanks for everything you're doing.

Rochelle:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Karen Williams at West Jordan Middle School. How long have you been a counselor here at West Jordan Middle?

Karen:
This is my seventh year all here at West Jordan Middle.

Anthony Godfrey:
Seventh year as a school counselor?

Karen:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I understand you had a career before school counselor.

Karen:
I did. I was a Sandy City police officer.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what are the differences between being a Sandy City police officer and the school counselor?

Karen:
Well, one of the biggest differences that I'm not arresting kids. I'm working with them, and people are generally happy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes.

Karen:
I did five years in the Youth Unit. I was assigned to two elementary schools where I taught DARE and then three years as a middle school officer. So that started the idea that working with kids in this capacity is a little bit more fulfilling than just arresting and taking them out of school.

Anthony Godfrey:
So rather than on the enforcement side, you're more on the encouragement side, being able to help students earlier on, perhaps in that process. I know that our police officers are very helpful and encouraging with students. And there's been a real focus on connecting with communities and families and being a positive influence on students through the DARE program and some other things. What do you like most about being a school counselor?

Karen:
There's a few things I like. Forming the relationships with the students and letting them see adults on a different level and joking around with them, having fun with them. The other two counselors I work with, I know it's the same for them. We all have these kids that we just have connected with. There might be a bad weekend, but they know when they can come in Monday morning and see us  and walk out, hopefully, feeling a little bit better.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for talking with me. It's really nice to meet you.

Karen:
Oh, you're welcome.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. We're here at West Jordan Middle School with Wendy Petrovich, a counselor, and I just realized that we have something in common. We have both visited all 50 States. You're quite the traveler.

Wendy:
Yes, I am. I love to travel.

Anthony Godfrey:
Where else have you been besides all the other 50 States?

Wendy:
I have traveled to Asia a couple of times. Jordan, that country is a biggie. Quite a few trips in Europe and Australia.

Anthony Godfrey:
What was your last state visited?

Wendy:
North Dakota.

Anthony Godfrey:
North Dakota. Last on your list.

Wendy:
Nobody goes to North Dakota on accident. You have to go to North Dakota.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. My purpose was we were driving cross country in a station wagon in the eighties. What do you wish parents and students knew about school counselors?

Wendy:
You know, there are a lot of kids that don't know even to come into us. So I wish that they all knew we like to talk to them and that they are always free to contact us and come and visit.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's great talking with you. Thanks for everything you do. I appreciate you very much. We're here with Brent, who has been a counselor here at West Jordan High for a year. This is his first year here. He was at Herriman High School for a couple of years before that. Happy National School Counseling week.

Brent:
Right. Thank you so much. We appreciate you coming out here.

Anthony Godfrey:
How do you like being a school counselor?

Brent:
I love it. It's different than I thought it would be. There's a lot of stuff that comes with education that you just didn't really expect. A lot of tasks that have to just get done, like scheduling and helping students graduate. But I think the biggest thing for us is we get to help a lot of students just reach their potential. We get a lot of students that are doing really well and also students that are not doing well and we get to help both of those kinds of students really reach the goals that they have. And that's really rewarding.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you wish parents and students knew about school counselors?

Brent:
That our training is about the whole student. It's really focused on helping the whole student be successful. So we do have training in mental health and as school-based mental health. We also have a lot of resources and we can help students that way as well. We couldn't run groups and do individual counseling along with all of the other stuff that's really important, like looking at graduation requirements and being prepared for college and career readiness and making those plans as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for being one of those adults that has a huge impact on student lives. Thanks to our school counselors who took time out of their busy schedules to visit with us. We appreciate all the wonderful work they do for students and families stay with us. Up next, Stacee Worthen gets to lie to the Superintendent in our version of Two Truths and a Lie.

Break:
In Jordan School District, the possibilities are endless for anyone looking to grow with a team of professionals, working together to provide the very best for students in education. If you're looking for a great job with great pay and benefits in a supportive environment, head to http://workatjordan.org and find your future career in Jordan School District. People come for the job and stay for the adventure. Explore the many options. Apply today at http://workatjordan.org

Anthony Godfrey:
We're back, we're here with Stacee Worthen and celebrating National School Counselors Week. Happy National School Counselors Week to all the counselors out there. As I've told Stacee before, I have a soft spot in my heart for counselors because my mother-in-law was a counselor. And that's how I met my wife. She actually set us up, but she set us up two years after we'd been working together. So it was the longest job interview of my life. But at least I passed. Tell us, first of all, just very briefly about your counseling background.

Stacee:
Initially, I started as a secondary teacher. I taught history and English language arts. Then I moved into an ESL teacher coordinator and my principal said, Hey, you'd be a really good school counselor. And I took his advice. I got my Master's. I started out helping. I helped in St. George, open Desert Hills High School as a counselor there. And then I moved here, started at Sunset Ridge Middle School, and then I moved up to Copper Hills High School. And now I'm Secondary Counselor Specialist for Jordan School District.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you've been a counselor at the middle school and high school. What have you liked about being a school counselor?

Stacee:
I love everything student centered. I love learning about the whole child, learning what we can do to empower them to be the best individual they can be, learning about their strengths, their weaknesses, how we can build them up, empower them to talk to teachers, to talk to parents, to be successful. And then learning how to deal with some of their own inner issues like stress, anxiety. At the end of the day, watching them leave your school as this amazing young individual who is coming into their own or excited to experience life and what it has to offer. It's really rewarding.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Stacee Worthen to hear her Two Truths and a Lie, her chance to lie to the Superintendent. What have you got Stacee?

Stacee:
When I was seven, I was a bucked off of a horse named Humphrey Bogart.

Anthony Godfrey:
The horse was named Humphrey Bogart. Yes. Wow. Okay.

Stacee:
I was the homecoming queen at Fairfield High School my senior year.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're giving a lot of detail in all of these. That's very deceiving.

Stacee:
Right. Okay. And my second favorite person, after husband, is my dog, Charlie.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Okay. Boy. To involve animals, but homecoming queen, I don't know. You kind of lit up when you said that. I'm going to say homecoming queen is the lie.

Stacee:
No, that is true.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is true. All right. Wow. I was right. But you were lighting up for that one.

Stacee:
It's funny, because you know who cares? It's just, there were 200 kids in my High School, so hey.

Anthony Godfrey:
So Charlie, tell me about Charlie.

Stacee:
So Charlie is actually my dog. He's a soft coated Wheaton, and he eight months old. I love him, but he's not your second favorite person? No, my dog, Sammy, who is a Havanese.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Okay.

Stacee:
He's a tiny little princess dog. My husband and I actually had that discussion just last week. Like, who's your favorite person after me? I'm like, hmm, Sammy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does Sammy ever pass your husband up and take the number one slot?

Stacee:
Most days.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Fair enough. All right. Does he know which days those are?

Stacee:
It's pretty clear.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Thanks again to Stacee for being here to celebrate Counselors Week. We love our counselors. Stop in and say hi, or ask them to say hi to your students. And remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you.