Chelsea Reed

School Counselor Philosophy

The school counselor holds many roles: advocate, leader, collaborator, social justice and systemic change agent. My personal desire as a professional school counselor is to elevate and empower every voice, to come alongside students as they take a world of nebulous ideas and potential paths to form the solid ground upon which to walk into adulthood with myriad tools for success in academic and career achievement as well as personal and holistic growth as a global citizen.

My clinical mental health experience, both didactic and in practice, lends itself to bringing mental health into greater prominence within the comprehensive school counseling program and aligns with the holistic lens through which I approach every person who crosses my path.

While led strongly by data in assessing needs, formulating best outcomes, and implementing evidence-based practices, I pair the data and systems of support with the nuance and subjectivity of my own personhood and unique perspective to best serve every student and the larger community in which we reside.

Professional Development Plan

As a new professional school counselor, it is important to continue learning how best to serve every student, especially as research expands and findings support new best practices. I am ethically bound to engage in professional development and, as such, have identified a number of conferences that I hope to attend:

• ASCA Annual Conference

• Trauma Informed School Conference

• Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference

Ideally, I would attend a minimum of one conference per year starting with my first year (2022-2023) as a professional school counselor. I am also interested in becoming certified in play therapy as this is a useful tool in working with individuals of all ages and can lead to more creativity in my practices.

John Lemaire

School Counselor Philosophy

The guidance counselor was once seen as someone that assisted adolescents in navigating social and emotional needs en route to college. I now understand that the role of the professional school counselor is held to a much higher standard. Though my calling and passion to become a counselor was rooted in walking alongside students as they face challenging times through adolescence, I am now prepared to do much more.

As a professional school counselor, I am prepared to build a prevention-based program for students to acquire competencies in academic, career, and personal social emotional development. In this role I will draw upon my strengths of empathy, harmony and consistency to build relationships and lean on the restorative and deliberative characteristics I possess to execute developed plans. I now view the role as being a collaborator, one who works with all stakeholders to ensure equitable education for all students by using evidence-based practices to promote mindsets and behaviors that enhance the learning process and create a culture of preparedness for postsecondary education.

Professional Development Plan

Not only is staying up to date an ethical obligation of the professional school counselor, but given my excitement for continued learning, I want to stay relevant by keeping up to date on improved techniques and philosophies within the field of professional school counseling.

To stay up to date with the latest trends and research, I have several professional development opportunities of which I would like to pursue.

• ASCA Annual Conference

• At-Risk Youth National Forum

• National Dropout Prevention Conference

I am excited to broaden my educational lens and grow within the community of professional school counselors through continued professional development opportunities.