Gone are the days where school counselors are once called as guidance counselors, simply they do so much more than just guiding. School counselors also help the students with their college and scholarship applications, their career paths and also their mental health and wellness.
School counselors play a significant impact when it comes to a student's career path and overall psychological well-being. Though it's initially perceived that guidance counselors are placed in a school to guide and encourage students, Terri Tchorzynski of the Calhoun Area Career Center in Battle Creek, Michigan explained the responsibilities of a school counselor during her interview with NPR.
"Our role is different to every student that needs us, and you have to change gears pretty quickly," Marti Guelde, a guidance counselor at South Warren High School said, as reported by Daily News. "I tell students that their education is the one thing that nobody can take away from them, and it is the one thing that belongs to them only.
Tchorzynski mentioned that a school counselor's responsibility varies per year or grade level. For college students, she mentioned that they aid students with Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), school choices and career path. They also help students on the social-emotional aspects of their daily lives, especially when it comes to the child's behavior and personal problems, may it be at school or at home.
Tchorzynski also highlighted the importance and the impact of the student's social and emotional well-being on his or her education. She also mentioned that they help students deal with emotional struggles for them to effectively perform academically.
Moreover, Tchorzynski explained that aside from the emotional aspect, they also check the academic aspect of the students' overall standing in school. She mentioned that it is their responsibility to check the attendance and the grades of each student to make sure that they would be ready for high school or college.
