Each school day, University school counseling interns are taking their training into more than 18 public schools in nine counties and districts in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, serving close to 10,000 students.
Alaina Schrader, a lecturer with the School of Education and Counseling in the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, says those interns are doing important work.
“I think a lot of people are familiar with the idea of individual counseling. Yes, we do that, but they also do things for all students. They provide schoolwide initiatives. They do small group counseling. They’re part of collaboration with teachers and staff and deciding what supports come into play when students are needing different things.”
What makes an effective school counselor?
“I think good school counselors are, of course, passionate, compassionate, caring individuals. Very creative, ambitious, self-starters. Not afraid to hop in there and do something. Not afraid to be themselves. Being authentic and aligned with who they are.”
Brynn Benson, a first-year master’s student in school counseling from Scranton, Pennsylvania, will be working in schools starting next year.
“I am just so excited to help all kinds of students with all kinds of things, whether that be social-emotional skills up until what they might want to do with their own futures at the end of the day. Students need support, and school counselors are there to grant that support. Having administrations that invest in school counselors increases the support of students overall.”
Schrader says research shows when school counselors are appropriately staffed in schools, students do better.
“Our national organization recommends that there be one school counselor for every 250 students, and the national average is sitting at around 464. So school counselors are responsible for way more students than is really possible to provide good care for. And so people advocating in their local districts for more school counselors and more funding really make a huge difference.”
Recognized in February, National School Counseling Week highlights the critical role school counselors play in supporting students’ academic success, mental health, career development and overall well-being.
The main message? According to Benson:
“We are all out here doing the best we can with what we have, and there needs to be more of us. So let’s go.”
WVU students and faculty pose in front of a rainbow backdrop, holding a “Back to School” photo frame and oversized pencil during a welcome event.