The Common Problems School Guidance Counselors Come Across

What Is A Guidance Counselor?

A guidance counselor is an indispensable part of any school administration in the elementary, middle school and high school levels. They are advocates in the students' whole being because they administer guidance of both their personal and school life.

A counselor is usually licensed in their respective states and has a Master's degree in Arts, Science or Education. They have advance training in Psychology and Sociology to better assess the students' lives. They study different counseling techniques to address different needs.

Job Duties

Guidance Counselors make frequent assessments of the students' performance and progress. This enables them to gauge their individual requirements. High school counselors are often consulting with students regarding their future career path. So their role is a vital part of shaping the individuality of the children. Job duties vary depending on the education level they are in. Generally, they are student advocates.

Common Student Problems

What are the common problems school guidance counselors come across? It can sometimes be frustrating for counselors to do their job. The job requires exceptional communication skills to be able to communicate with even the most difficult students and their parents. If a counselor does it right, they can serve as a secondary parent whom students can trust and confide in.

Common Elementary School Problems

An elementary school student is fun and challenging to work with. They are in the time of their lives that they start to become imaginative, self-reliant and free spirited. Disciplining them becomes a challenge because this is when they have new experiences and opportunities.

Bullying

Behaving socially is relatively new to children in elementary level. One of the common problems school guidance counselors come across in elementary is bullying. Elementary level is where kids explore new grounds and meet new people with different characteristics. Research shows nine out of ten elementary students have experienced being bullied by their classmates and peers. Six out of ten showed that they have participated on some bullying themselves.

A guidance counselor plays a big role in these matters. If someone is being bullied, a counselor will help the child cope with it by giving strategies and ideas. It will make the child feel less alone and eradicate the fear of going to school. The counselor will also converse with the one bullying and assess the reason for the child's behavior.

Common High School Problems

The common problems school guidance counselors come across in High School are more complex because this is the transition into adulthood. They are beginning to search for their independence and peer pressure is very powerful in influencing their decisions. Aside from creating a foreground to a student's future career, a counselor is their guide to making sound decisions in their academic, social and individual lives.

Relationship with family and Parents

Home issues are common problems of High school students that counselors regularly address. The student may be undergoing the divorce of parents or the lack of time they spend with them. More often than not, their stress come from their time spent at home than in school. Some teens also have a hard time talking to their parents regarding personal matters like peer pressure and sex, so they need an unbiased opinion of an adult from time to time.

Substance Abuse

As peer pressure is most powerful during High School, it is also a common problem that adolescents are pressured into drinking alcohol or trying drugs in order to get their peers' approval. A counselor is an advocate in raising awareness of these abusive substances to the students. They develop programs to educate students on the risks and health hazards of substance abuse.

Decisions about major, career, or just higher education in general

Lastly, a high school counselor will give ideas and prospect for secondary school students regarding their decisions after high school. This is a common problem for this level. Some individuals are unsure of what they want to do with their lives after graduating. A counselor will give details and information about their individual skills and academic performances.

More Information Counseling and Guidance of Children

1. Advice For College-Bound Students
2. Center Against Violence and Abuse
3. College is Possible
4. Some Good Questions (And Some Pretty Good Answers
5. Ten Ways to Get Along Better in School