Page 61 - EdViewptsSpring2021

school, they are great counseling ment goals and have their counselors receptive, and I enjoyed my work - and
practitioners themselves, and they are develop a portfolio. In the “managing” this happiness allowed me to be a
able to build and maintain incredible dimension, directors can organize student of my profession.
school counseling programs. School data-informed priorities. In the “delivery” Dr. Anita Young (2019) stated that, “As
Counselor Leaders must be skillful component, directors can ensure that a profession, we have operationalized
at balancing, being able to take the work their counselors are doing truly the term school counselor leader as a
the plethora of duties they may be matters – work that involves resources, responsive change agent who is able to
assigned because of the vagueness presentations and the theoretical integrate instructional and school coun-
of their role, and come out having foundation development we all began seling best practices to initiate, devel-
their school counseling programs in our graduate programs. Finally, in the op, and implement equitable services
and departments commended for “assess” component, school counselors’ to all students.” As a Director, I knew
all the work they all do. This should success of the program can be mea- from before I interviewed that my goal
be done while demonstrating the sured by the before and after of inter- was to change up the flow of things so
interconnectedness of the different ventions. During this portion, specific more students can experience more
departments within the school and the professional development options can success. I knew from my thirteen years
various connections to the world at be researched (Gooden-Alexis, S. & of experience as a School Counselor
large. I would say school counselors Quintana, T., 2020). that I have ideas, but I needed to coor-
are the ‘anti-silos’. The leaders of this If I had to pick a favorite component, dinate them and be in a position where
department have the potential to be I would say it is delivery. Many of the I can set up initiatives and policies
the trailblazers - as long as they know ideas from this portion are for practicum to make those successes become a
and live what a school counselor is and internship experiences, and I often reality. Social justice has always been
and do not get stuck in duties that say that we have to almost treat our one of my goals in Jersey City, and I
are inappropriate for them as well. In work at whatever level we are at as one carried it with me to Carteret. My goal
addition to this, School Counseling big internship. In this way, we stay open is to get the students the opportunities
Directors need to be confident and to everything, we expect to learn, and they need and allow the school coun-
have faith in their work, the work of we welcome and grow from mistakes. selors to use their talents to deliver the
their teams and the future as well; their In my first year as a Director, I was support. I knew that I already had the
work is like an empty canvas, and they just beginning to learn about my major skill of collaboration that Dr. Young has
have to add the color before anyone responsibilities, which included the spoken of in her article. And as a Direc-
else decides to pencil things in for district’s first SAT Day, implementing tor, who is still trying to understand the
them and for their school counselors. Naviance (SAT School Day (2021), lay of the land and who has deep roots
So what should Directors of School https://collegereadiness.collegeboard. in the profession of those she is lead-
Counseling Services do? When we think org/sat/k12-educators/sat-school- ing, I have complete confidence that,
about the ASCA National Model and day/about and Naviance (2021), when managed carefully, the advocacy
the four components - Define, Manage, https://www.hobsons.com/solution/ for my field and the vision I have in
Deliver and Assess - Directors of School naviance/), being charged with the mind can become the real thing. I know
Counseling Services are able to have master schedule, being the School Test that if you have a really good vision,
a map to follow when doing their critical Coordinator and evaluations, among it will lead you to become a visionary,
work with their counselors. In terms other things. But in treating the job as a and I believe that these are the people
of “defining”, directors can review the learning experience, I took the pressure that the amazing profession of school
district’s goals and the school’s improve- off myself. I let myself stay positive and counseling really deserves.

Resources
Gooden-Alexis, S. & Quintana, T., (2020). Making Supervision Work, American School Counselor Association: Webinar
Series, https://videos.schoolcounselor.org/making-supervision-work
Young, A. (2019), FROM DOER TO LEADER, ASCA School Counselor,
https://www.ascaschoolcounselor-digital.org/ascaschoolcounselor/november_december_2019/MobilePagedArticle.
action?articleId=1536790
Rumi > Quotes > Quotable Quote (2020),
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9354398-are-you-searching-for-your-soul-then-come-out-of
SAT School Day (2021), https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/k12-educators/sat-school-day/about
Naviance (2021), https://www.hobsons.com/solution/naviance/

About the Author
Sweety Patel is the Director of School Counseling Services for Carteret Public Schools in Carteret,
New Jersey. Prior to this role, Sweety was a School Counselor for Henry Snyder High School and
Renaissance Institute/U-CAN Academy in the Jersey City Public Schools. @SweetyP21

Educational Viewpoints -59- Spring 2021