Miss. Students Selected for Senate Youth Program

School Counselors Evolve to Meet Students’ Needs

Brock Turnipseed

The job of the modern school counselor looks a lot different than the role of the guidance counselor of yesteryear.

As student needs have grown, the role of counselors evolved to be more proactive, data-driven and focused on students’ academic, social, emotional and college- and career-readiness needs.

Crystal Brewer, who is in her 21st year as the school counselor at Simpson Central School in the Simpson County School District, said Mississippi is shifting the view of counselors in addressing students’ needs.

“We’re making progress to being more proactive in what we do, being more focused on the emotional needs of our students and getting them ready for college and career,” Brewer said. “We want the child to be successful in all realms of their life.”

Students’ social and emotional needs have been a priority for counselors, but they have become even more critical with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Ebonee Magee-Dorsey, a ninthyear school counselor for Lawrence County School District’s Monticello Elementary and Rod Paige Middle schools, said she emphasizes her students’ social and emotional wellbeing because it can directly impact their success in the classroom.

“They’re not going to hear anything the teacher says if they come to school with a laundry list of things that happened at home, if they’re hungry, if their boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with them or something happened on Snapchat is bothering them,” Magee-Dorsey said. “I can’t talk to a child about a career or academics unless they are well mentally.”

Dr. Chancey Fort, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) director of K-12 academic counseling programs and support services, said there is a great need for school counselors to help students cope with these daily challenges and those brought to the forefront by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This pandemic is part of trauma, she said. “Students might be dealing with grief from losing a family member or friend to COVID-19; parents might have gotten divorced or lost jobs — all of those things have changed their environment.”

Fort, a former school counselor in the Kosciusko School District, has been in her role at MDE for just over a year. She is an advocate for changing the perception of the school counselor from the guidance counselor to a comprehensive school counselor who focuses on more

than just the academic well-being of students and can be an integral ally for administrators and teachers. “Dr. Fort has really tried to put that spark back in school counseling and say, ‘Hey, these are the things that we need to be doing,’” Magee-Dorsey “We’re making progress to being said. “Our license right now more proactive in what we do, being says guidance counselor, and she’s trying to get more focused on the emotional that changed to school needs of our students and getting counselor. She is starting them ready for college and career. there then working down We want the child to be successful to superintendents and principals, letting them in all realms of their life.” know our role. That is when we will start to see some - Crystal Brewer, Simpson Central School Counselor major changes. She has been working very hard for school counselors to make sure we have everything we need and are respected in our field.” Fort implemented professional development opportunities, resources and supports centered around the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model,

Opposite page left: Crystal Brewer (middle), school counselor at Simpson Central School (SCS) in the Simpson County School District, poses with former students who were students of the month for character education. Left: Fifth and sixth grade students in the SCS kindness club started by Brewer sign “Kindness Matters” banners as part of the Great Kindness Challenge. Right: SCS fifth and sixth grade students point out that being kind is cool as part of the kindness club.