As school counselors there is a fair expectation placed on us that we’ll be able to connect with students. If you are like many counselors, relating with students in good times and in times of struggle is one of the best parts of the job. We play a vital but safe role of expertise in the lives of our students but are not, thankfully, the only ones who serve in a supportive capacity. There will always be those particularly influential teachers, coaches, and other staff who are on hand to advise, consult, and work with students in capacities beyond academic areas. An important task for us is to facilitate workplace alliances with influential teachers who also connect with students so that students can be most effectively supported.
An ideal learning environment includes multiple opportunities for students to relate with thoughtful and caring adults. Similarly, an ideal teaching environment is one where colleagues are willing to go beyond minimum job requirements and engage with other adults and students on a variety of personal and professional levels. Where it can become difficult is when it is perceived that teachers have overstepped role-related boundaries with their students (our clients) by offering guidance that may be more effectively provided by a professional school counselor.
In such instances, it may be helpful to first approach the teacher from the perspective that it is great that they are willing to help and that the students connect with them.
An effective mantra to assist with this can be that, it doesn’t matter where the help comes from, as long as it is helpful.
There will be more regarding the quality of help further down but this approach seems to keep the egos out of it and can align the counselor and the teacher who, after all, share the common goal of trying to help the students.
Once the whole territory concern is securely managed, it may be sufficient to offer the teacher quality support and guidance to make sure they know what they should be aware of for immediate referral as indicated by your school and region’s policies – likely to include such issues a suicide ideation, eating concerns, intent to harm oneself or others, substance use and/or abuse, neglect, abuse, or underlying emotional difficulty. The teachers you are working with are likely to be relieved to have a professionally trained confidante to work with. The counselor is likely to be in a better position to help by providing information regarding local resources, scholarships, or other important details that the teacher may not be aware of or think to mention to the student.
In that these approaches build trust instead of stake out territory, teachers are more likely to seek us out for advice on how to manage difficult situations in the future. You may also notice that referrals are more forth coming because teachers know from where and when they should seek professional mental health assistance regarding student issues. Effective use of these ideas can be a great way of adding “relating with colleagues” to the list of the other best-parts of the job. – AC
Adam Clark is a school counselor at Yokohama International School in Yokohama, Japan. Find out more at http://whoisadamclark.com/who-is
Posted On: Sunday, January 9th, 2011
Posted In: Counseling
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