This award recognizes doctoral students with exceptional insight and understanding of the school advisory profession and the work of professional school advisors who interact with elementary, middle or high school students.
Winner: Rebecca Alexandra Smith
Rebecca Alexandra Smith is currently pursuing her Master of Science in counseling training specializing in school counseling and clinical psychological counseling at East Carolina University. She plans to become a school advisor in North Carolina and an approved Clinical Mental Health Advisor (LCMHC). Her passion is to work with children, teenagers, and families to address the various personal, relational, and systemic challenges that affect their lives.
Article:
Robby Novak said: "You don't need a cape to be a hero. You just have to take care of it." With the help of adults who believed in him, Robby Novak became the funny and wise "Kid President" who has inspired others since 2012. However, many young people forego the safety of a healthy support system and their wellbeing is at risk as a result.The school counseling gives all students access to someone who supports them, works for them and believes in them with all their hearts.
To measure the effectiveness of school counseling, we should focus on social and emotional outcomes rather than academic outcomes, as gaps in performance often prohibit equal access to student academic achievement. With this in mind, healthy decision-making skills and the ability to deal with adversity are the main non-academic outcomes. They are important because of the long-term benefits that can potentially improve student performance and personal victories over their lifetime.
An informed decision-making process can be difficult for all students due to different backgrounds or environments. When a counselor works with students to develop this ability through modeling, workshops, reinforcement or goal setting, they can discover the power that healthy choices have in their lives. We can assess student decision-making skills by recording behavioral reports, peer engagement, post-graduate planning, and parent and teacher ratings. As students develop this ability, behavior is likely to improve, the choice of relationship becomes healthier, they become more targeted, and parents and teachers will report signs of improved behavior, such as: B. Punctual submission of homework or friendliness towards a classmate.
Another central component of school counseling is the ability to provide our students with opportunities to deal with adversity. Learning these skills as the brain develops will provide a solid foundation for dealing with stress, change and negative emotions throughout the student's life. One way to prepare students with self-regulation tools is through direct instruction. However, we can also help by informing families, communities and teachers about how coping skills can be integrated into everyday life. We can document this result through student self-reports, parent and teacher ratings, direct observations of coping skills, or an assessment of their emotional and behavioral health. Ideally, students who face adversity can verbally express their problems and seek support, undertake appropriate activities that strengthen their self-image, are willing to endure setbacks, and / or show an increase in mood and reduced stress .
All students can increase their chances of lasting academic and personal success if they learn to make healthy decisions and deal appropriately with adversity. To promote these results, school counselors must be willing to be teachers, trainers, liaison officers, and advocates for student social, emotional, and academic wellbeing. Only then can the obstacles to success be broken down so that we can be the heroes who bring forth heroes in our students. All it takes is care; no capes required.
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