School Counselors: Creating a Connection

@smhscounseling department via Instagram

San Marcos Highschool counselors posed with 2022 National Merit Scholarship semifinalist senior Malina Freeman on Sept. 21

The counselors at San Marcos High are making the mental health of students a top priority. According to the Office of Public Affairs, around 49% of all adolescents have struggled with their mental well-being during high school. By highlighting the importance of teen mental health these counselors are creating a safe space for students to be vulnerable. 

“This job has made me realize that mental health should be a top priority for everyone. I feel like if you’re not feeling good mentally it can affect your whole life,” San Marcos High School counselor Lori Nguyen said. 

Students feel more comfortable approaching counselors with a variety of issues. “School counselors recognize and distinguish individual and group differences and strive to equal value all students and groups without imputing their opinion” The American School Counselor Association explains. The fact that their counselors are unbiased means they can aid them with things that other adults aren’t able to. 

“I think that school counselors are needed to provide a system of support for students and be there for students when they don’t really have anyone else to go to. And I think counselors are needed for school things because there are always problems that you don’t want to talk to your teachers about or you don’t know where to go,” Freshmen Oliver Lee said. 

School counselors are required to keep their conversations with students private. The American School Counselor Association states that school counselors have a legal and ethical obligation to keep information shared between a student and themselves strictly confidential. Regulations like these make teens feel more secure when confiding in their counselor. 

“By law, we have to keep our conversations with students confidential. So if a student comes in and says something negative about another person or a teacher or parent or whatever, I don’t share that. None of us do,” Janet Paul said.

Counselors don’t just help students one on one; For students who don’t feel comfortable approaching their counselor on their own, San Marcos High counselors conduct group lessons in classrooms.

“Some counselors came into our class, my ELA 6th period, and they talked to us about many things like schoolwork, mental health, relieving stress, and ways to cope. It was really helpful for me,” Freshmen Oliver Lee said.

Counselors like Janet Paul and Lori Nguyen put in a tremendous effort for their students. Regardless of the fact that school counselors are each responsible for over three hundred students, they spend lots of time creating lessons, college presentations and attending conferences.

“So in addition to talking with students, I do a lot of talking behind the scenes like planning. We prepare lessons for the classrooms and we do a lot of college stuff, attend conferences and make sure we’re up to date on what students need in order to be successful. We do a lot of emails behind the scenes like answering questions and we’ll say here’s what you need to do and where you need to go. There’s a lot that people don’t see,” Janet Paul said.

“I just like finding out about them, I like knowing who they are as people, and I just like helping. I really like when a student confides in me and we talk through it and then they leave feeling better,” Lori Nguyen said.