Role of the Middle School Counselor
"Middle school counselors are educators uniquely trained in child and adolescent development, learning strategies, self management and social skills. They implement a school counseling program to support students through this important developmental period. The school counseling program provides education, prevention and intervention activities, which are integrated into all aspects of students’ lives. The program teaches students the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for academic, career and social/emotional development." ASCA 2019
ACADEMIC
SUPPORT
School counselors, especially middle school counselors, are uniquely positioned to support students with achieving academic success. Middle school is a time of huge growth and learning. This includes learning to manage multiple classes, organize materials and time, communicate effectively with teachers, study skills, and other strong student skills which will help our students thrive as lifelong learners.
PERSONAL
& SOCIAL
Often times when people think about middle school, they picture the social aspect of middle school. As school counselors, we think about social skills as just that, skills to be learned. Like any life long skill, social skills are learned through practice and learning from mistakes. Middle school is also a time of huge personal growth, when students are discovering their own personal ideals, passions, and strengths. As school counselors we are here to help students highlight their strengths, build their passions, and work towards their own personal goals.
FUTURE PLANNING
Washington State requires that all students begin to think about life beyond high school starting in middle school. During the spring of their 8th grade year, students will explore the various post high school options available to them, discover which career clusters they may be best suited for, and make a rough plan for high school and beyond. School counselors help guide this process and encourage students to think through all of the options available to students as they enter high school and envision their future.