School counselor role evolves to support whole child
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — School districts across Middle Tennessee are honoring the critical work of school counselors during National School Counseling week.
“National School Counseling Week is a privilege for us because it’s an opportunity for us to highlight our role and our function within the schools,” said Rutherford County Schools’ counseling supervisor, Amy Baltimore. “One thing that I’ve noticed over the years is that the role is very misunderstood.”
She said the role of the school counselor has expanded over the years from that of a guidance counselor. It went from being an academic advisor to a multifaceted professional who is trained at a master’s level to provide academic skills support, college and career exploration and readiness, and social and emotional development support.
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“It really looks like doing a lot of advocacy on various levels,” Baltimore told News 2. “That can be advocating in the classroom. That can be advocating at meetings. That can be serving on leadership teams, speaking with community partners, but really working to promote equity and access for students as they progress through the grade levels.”
When it comes to mental health, she described school counselors as being similar to a triage nurse in an emergency room.
“They can stem the flow, right, in that moment, and then get you the long-term care that you need, so that’s really what a school counselor does when it comes to mental health. They can recognize the need and understand the function of it, and they do the short-term triage support, but then, really, their main objective is to help the family, help the student find that long-term care that they need for their mental health support,” Baltimore explained.
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Rutherford County Schools invested in a mental health service called Care Solace to link students, families and employees with therapists and counselors.
“[Teachers] will usually be the first ones to notice, and then they’ll pass it to the support staff, and the support staff will work with the parent, but parents and anyone connected with Rutherford County Schools, including teachers, anyone, they can access Care Solace through a specific dashboard we have just for our district,” Baltimore said
According to Baltimore, the most rewarding part of her work is seeing former students.
“That is just so exciting and that’s what makes it so rewarding,” she said. “It keeps you going because you know that the seeds you’re planting on that day, in that moment, are going to be watered by someone and they’re gonna grow, right? I might not see it, but it’s gonna happen, so that’s, that’s the piece that really sticks with me.”
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