California School Counselor Advocacy Tips

As a college counselor in the Livingston Union University District, I have viewed firsthand the crucial role that school counseling positions engage in in supporting academic achievement, social-emotional advancement, college or university and career readiness, and mental well being and wellness in our students.  My Superintendent, Andres Zamora, has been a chief in increasing and supporting college counseling positions, recognizing the good affect they have on our faculty neighborhood.  

Amongst 2006 – 2015, I was a single of only two college counselors serving our 2,500 university student physique, 4 universities in Livingston.  I was a direction counselor more than a faculty counselor.  In simple fact, I identified as myself an “ASCA wanna-be” faculty counselor giving each and every school web-site with regardless of what counseling support they needed most all through my minimal time at each web-site as an alternative of in depth providers. 

In 2015, the neighborhood command and accountability approach (LCAP) was released in California and we experienced an opportunity to do issues in another way.  My superintendent, Andres Zamora, invited me to a discussion that transformed school counseling in Livingston. I spoke about the role of college counselors in every developing as academic advisors, social psychological developers and school and profession explorers.  I spoke about how university counselors could present pupils and people with access to details, opportunities, and resources. 

My superintendent comprehended the benefit of faculty counselors in education, agreed with no hesitancy and the rest is background.  We employed four additional counselors ensuring each and every faculty experienced at minimum one particular counselor and the center university with two.  This considerable change stemmed from an intentional and inclusive conversation between practitioner and a Superintendent who thinks that all learners, irrespective of their unique instances, are worthy of equitable obtain to education, info, opportunities and resources. 

In 2018, my middle faculty earned nationwide recognition for furnishing all students in the building with a thorough, info-driven school counseling system.  The up coming calendar year, two supplemental schools in my District achieved national recognition and the previous university in our District accomplished countrywide recognition.  We are the only California school district to have all nationally identified universities! 

As a university counselor, listed here are a couple of vital guidelines I advise for advocating for university counseling positions:

• Teach many others about the rewards of school counseling positions: Share analysis and information about the positive impression that school counseling positions have on university student tutorial achievement, social-emotional improvement, university and vocation readiness, and psychological health and wellness.  I’ve done this frequently in university bulletins, caregiver newsletters, college counseling advisories and faculty board presentations.
• Share good results tales: Share distinct illustrations of how faculty counseling positions have designed a change in the lives of specific pupils or the college local community as a complete.  I’ve accomplished this routinely as a result of personnel shout outs and, generally not long ago, established an LUSD Scholar Good results story that is shared with team and group.
• Advocate for the ASCA countrywide product and advised ratio: Use the ASCA countrywide model and proposed ratio as a manual for advocating for ample staffing degrees and support for faculty counseling positions.  Use details to share how school counseling plans impression the lives of college students.

By growing the selection of school counselors in universities, we can better guidance the accomplishment and effectively-remaining of all pupils.  Counseling presents college students the possibility to work via challenges they could be experiencing and create the abilities and confidence they need to realize success in the classroom. In a time where psychological overall health worries are getting much more common, the support of school counselors is additional crucial than at any time. 

The American Faculty Counselor Affiliation (ASCA) has made a nationwide product for faculty counseling courses that delivers a framework for how these positions can assist scholar accomplishment. The ASCA also endorses a ratio of a single university counselor for each individual 250 learners, to make certain that pupils have access to the help they have to have.

Department of Instruction Bio

Alma Lopez, 2022 College Counselor of the Yr, Direct Counselor, Livingston Middle University (California)

The initial Latina School Counselor of the 12 months, Lopez has served as a faculty counselor for 15 years. She is guide college counselor at Livingston Middle College, as nicely as Livingston Unified School District’s university counseling coordinator. A graduate of California Point out College – Fresno, Lopez embodies the complete spirit of university counseling. She serves as a Acknowledged ASCA Product Method (RAMP) reviewer and is a board member for the California Association of Faculty Counselors. In 2018, Lopez received the town of Livingston’s “You Make Us Proud Award” and also helped her university achieve RAMP standing the exact same 12 months. Colleagues refer to her as a constructive, humble, and strong advocate for faculty counselor applications who keeps the students with the most demands top of brain, making sure they have access to the assets to assist their good results.