Counselor Reflection

School counselors are integral team members for any school staff. They help students make responsible decisions; mediate problems; deal with traumatic losses; develop a sense of respect for themselves and others; and plan for college, work, post-secondary training, and lifelong learning. As a school counselor, Nikki Williams has a desire to provide Miller Elementary school with an effective counseling program. This model has allowed her to be more accountable and given her the tools by which to assess the worth of my program and its services. Her knowledge and skills have been expanded through implementation of this program but, more importantly, the tone has been set for who she is as a counselor and where her desire is to go as she journeys into helping students achieve success.
Leadership
Every effort is made to assert herself as a school leader by demonstrating accountability and sharing pertinent data with students, teachers, parents, administrators and the community. Needs assessments and outcomes from various guidance and counseling interventions are shared with staff. Data from these needs assessments are used to set priorities, establish program goals and objectives, and assign activities.
Meetings with teachers are ongoing in order to provide classroom guidance activities that meet students’ academic, career, and personal/social needs. For instance, being an active member of our school leadership team, SST committee, and regularly attending IEP meetings allows me to provide leadership by being a guiding force in reviewing data, and designing and implementing ways to increase students’ academic performance. During these meetings, I contribute strong group facilitation and problem solving skills by keeping discussions focused on what benefits the student and contributing my knowledge of student growth and development.
This year she has been an instrumental leader in such things as: * Providing staff development training (child mandated reporting,