My Interview

When I first found out about this assignment I was a little anxious because I didn't know whom I would interview or how my request would be received. As I consider my options I thought it would be best to interview someone that could offer me some insight as to what it is like to be an elementary or junior high school counselor, which are the two age groups that I would most like to work with. With this in mind, I decided to interview one of my son's past guidance counselors. This is a woman that I have admired since the first day that I met her. In talking with her I found her to be a very knowledgeable, caring, and open person. She has been in the helping profession for over twenty years and working as a guidance counselor since 1999. Another reason that I chose to interview her was because I believed that she could offer me valuable insight concerning how to be an effective and successful counselor. The purpose for the interview was to find out about her guidance program and her role of the counselor, to get an idea of how much time she spends in various components of the program, to discover how to foster a positive relationship with the teachers and faculty, to learn ways to continue to develop professionally, and to get words of wisdom from an experienced counselor.

The interview took place just after 11:00 a.m. on Monday morning. I was shown to the counselor's office, which is adjacent to the teacher's lounge and directly across the hallway from the main office. As I stepped inside I noticed it was a comfortable size room, lined with books, and the walls were decorated with positive words such as responsible, courage and honesty. After greeting me, she motioned for me to have a seat at a small table which is obviously where her small clients are seated when they visited with her.

I started the interview off by asking her to describe her guidance program and how she defines her role as school counselor. She described her program as being a combination of individual services geared towards the students (both classroom guidance units and individual counseling) and responsive services geared towards parents, faculty and teachers. All of the services that she offers are focused on helping students be their best and do their best. She also stressed that the success of her program is depended on the involvement of students, teachers, faculty, parents and herself. As far as her role of school counselor, she mainly sees herself as a coordinator. Because she serves as a "central point" for all aspects of the school not only do the students come to her for help but also the faculty, teachers, and parents. In her role she has to be able to be to relate to everyone and to help them come together for the best interest of the student.

After sharing with me about her role and describing her guidance program I asked if she could give me an idea of the amount of time that she spends in different components of the program. For this particular counselor, she spends almost 40% of her day with the children either in individual counseling or in classroom guidance. The other 60% of her time is spent in indirect services with parents, faculty, and outside agencies. She also shared with me that on occasion she does step in as the head administrator when both the principal and the assistant principal are out of the building. While she is overall happy with her program, she would definitely like to be able to spend more time in direct services with the children.

We went on to discuss her relationship with the faculty and staff, which she shared, is a very positive relationship. She communicates daily with her principal and they exchange feedback on an almost daily basis. As far as the teachers, this relationship is positive as well. Many of the teachers seek her out for advice and look forward to the guidance units that she provides to the classes.

Lastly,