When theory collides with practice: one day in the life of a middle school counselor.

Viktor Frankl (1984) stated, "One of the main features of human existence is the capacity to rise above such conditions, to grow beyond them. Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible and of changing himself for the better if necessary" (p. 133). Effective counselors do this daily, rising above conditions, seizing opportunities to change the world of the youth with whom they work, and, in so doing, changing themselves. One counselor records her day as it happened, illustrating the roles and personal qualities that often are overlooked by counselor educators and researchers but are common to many school counselors. The names have been changed to protect confidentiality.

COUNSELOR'S LOG

5:45 a.m. The alarm rings, returns my mind to consciousness, and triggers a quick review of the upcoming day. It is Friday, the beginning of the end of a hectic week. Sort and distribute the progress report scan sheets, collect them, return them for processing. Shred month-old schedule change forms. Prepare for fearful students, those who fear 48 hours with abusive siblings, friends, or parents. Fridays, usually eventful ends to event-filled weeks.

6:50 a.m. Traffic--the daily frustration. Creeping up the freeway, my mind previews the day ahead. There is my appraisal at 10:30, the grief group at 1:00, Erin's family upheaval, final preparations for Monday's parent meeting, and the fire marshal's visit.

7:25 a.m. Turning into the parking lot, I see them--the random pods of teenagers, shuffling from foot to foot, trying to stay warm amid gusty, cold winds. The "too cool" ones bravely stand in shorts. Playful girls antagonize nearby boys as teachers labor in, bent over with heavy satchels.

7:32 a.m. Open the blinds, boot up the computer, push the voice-mail button, watch parents unloading students, and listen, "You have six messages. First message...." The voice mail adds the following to my day: Mrs. Monroe wants extra help for her daughter, an elementary school counselor speaks hurriedly about fifth graders overcome with worry at the thought of publicly showering after P.E. next year, Mr. Sanchez needs immediate help completing his daughter's SAT application, the boys' grandmother requests a return call, the principal reminds me of my appraisal, and a teacher needs another outstanding citizen certificate. "Hey, mornin', Counselor. I need to talk with you about the 504 meeting last night," the assistant principal greets me, and Friday officially begins.

7:35 a.m. Checking e-mail, I find eight new items since last evening. Luckily, not all of them require replies, just time--time to sort the "immediate" from the "heads up," and calendar items from professional resources; time to reflect, time to answer.

7:45 a.m. Turn on the lights, clear a spot on the desk to sign off on an official inquiry from the county court regarding a custody case. Greet the secretaries as they make their way to their phones, emails, and waiting students, parents, and faculty.

7:50 a.m. The bell rings; I step into the hall and welcome eager faces. The students greet me with--

"Hey, Miss, it's cold out there."

"I want a schedule change; too late?"

"My stepmom had her baby last night."

"Look, I remembered my homework."

Cold air ushers in students as they scurry past and share a smile, a bit of their life, and a blast of the adolescent energy that I so treasure.

7:55 a.m. The moment is interrupted and I am directed to a new student, a slight, teary-eyed boy who hesitantly enters my office. He sinks into the chair closest to the door and, in a barely audible voice, unravels a story about a family in transition. We build his schedule, secure books and a locker, and end today's time together as we tour the building and its community.

8:10 a.m. "High importance" seems a curious term for e-mail entering the counselor's computer. I whisper, "Everything that enters my office is of 'high importance,'" and read on. The district newsletter, a reminder that registration cards are due in the administration building "sooner than ASAP," and a teacher's colorful plea for another desk. New students added to crowded classrooms always bring similar pleas. The seventh-grade team has rescheduled its meeting, a note about tomorrow's funeral, a mother needing help with her child's after-school detention, and an attachment from the director showing me how I spent my time last month.

8:25 a.m. The special education department head stops by to say that sorting state tests is a big job. She shakes her head and adds, "I don't know how you did it last year."

8:28 a.m. My eyes catch a glimpse of the stack of progress report scan sheets waiting to be sorted, distributed, and returned.

8:29 a.m. The phone rings just as an office aide enters and hands me a request from a student. I ignore the phone to talk with the student, but the secretary hurries in to say, "Catch that call." I listen as Grandmother updates me. The boys are doing as well as can be expected the day before their father's funeral. Yes, sister is still in the hospital. Thanks for the food donations and could I please help her find some sleeping bags? The boys are temporarily staying in her small house and are cold at night on the floor.

8:35 a.m. I head for the principal's office. We discuss Grandmother's request and feverishly try to add to our list of resources that would be likely to donate four sleeping bags. The grim reality of two members of our school family losing their house, their belongings, and their dad to a fire overshadows CNN's reports of recession and war and another drop in the Dow.

8:55 a.m. I return to my office and begin making phone calls describing a tragedy without breaching confidentiality or creating trauma for listening ears.

9:10 a.m. The principal dashes past my office and orders phone calls to three district-level administrators to keep them apprised of unfolding events and to update them about an impending critical incident debriefing. "Oh, and don't forget, we need to do your appraisal before noon; I've got a 1:00 meeting," his words hang in the air as his form disappears down the hallway.

9:25 a.m. Noisy tears. Counselors quickly learn the types of tears. There are the silent tears of embarrassment over knowing better, but not following through with responsibilities; the nearly hidden ones that almost fall from adolescent eyes; the dramatic ones shed in hopes of altering the inevitable; the whispered ones revealing hurts for which both silent and dramatic tears have been shed before; and, those noisy tears that spill out of struggling adolescents.

It was happening again and she just couldn't take it any longer. Mother worked a double, Dad still recovering from surgery, and infant nephew kept Erin awake throughout the night. Older sister was tired and put the baby in Erin's room, so she could sleep through the night. Erin changed his diapers, warmed his bottle, fed him at 2:30, burped him, and rocked him back to sleep. Now, here she was, all 5 feet of her, crying as though her 13-year-old heart were splitting in half. An unknowing teacher just gave her two test-grade zeroes for forgetting the project due today.

9:50 a.m. Another worried face, another student choking back tears. He was being sent home with pink eye, his math book was missing, and he would miss Saturday School. Could we call Mom? Could she fax a note? Could we search lost-and-found? Could we e-mail the teacher? More tears, more opportunities for the school counselor to facilitate success for students, to support teachers, to be a link between school and parent, to help without enabling, to care without caring too much.

9:57 a.m. The secretary again, "Call from the fire department; better catch that one." More questions about our family in crisis, more questions about the upcoming debriefing.

"Multitasking," I muse. "Multitasking is a counselor's survival tool." Check a student's grades, review yesterday's notes on the boys' crisis, ask for divine guidance, ignore the stomach rumbling, prop up the phone on the shoulder and type.

10:03 a.m. Reaching for the phone, I notice a growing stack of transfer grades waiting for teachers and the computer, that stack of progress report scan sheets, and a copy of my self-appraisal. Speaking at a fast pace, a fellow counselor describes a worrisome situation: "Our" 12-year-old shared vodka at a slumber party, which greatly impacted "her" third grader. "Yes, yes, I'll talk with her. Yes, of course, I'll keep it confidential. Yes, I'll get back with you," I promise.

10:10 a.m. Another phone call, a teacher inquiring how to best help when grieving children return to school. I pull together some notes and turn to the computer to compose "Do's and Don'ts for Grieving Students" and "Normal Reactions to a Big Stress."

10:23 a.m. I send these off as attachments for a second opinion from our district's head of counseling services. Approval is given, and as I fly down the hall to the copy machine, I freeze at the principal's

Chris Holowiak-Urquhart, M.Ed., is a counselor at Watauga Middle School in Fort Worth, TX, and a part-time instructor at Texas Christian University. E-mail: [e-mail]

request to complete my appraisal--now.

11:25 a.m. Noticing the time, I remind myself that I must get the debriefing notes to the fire marshal and dash off for the fire station.

12:05 p.m. Returning to campus, the phone, the computer, and the rush to complete things before the end of the day, I am greeted by a student requesting a schedule change that will enable him to run cross-country. As I enter his information into the computer, my mind runs along the golf course where I jog. He leaves happy; my mental jog is interrupted by the phone.

12:15 p.m. A colleague calls to inquire about our family in crisis. I find myself sinking deep into my chair as she says, "I just haven't had a moment to myself yet today." "I know what you mean," is all that I can reply.

12:20 p.m. I answer two e-mails and send one asking for volunteers to help distribute the reward coupons for honor roll students. My mind wanders to next week's group and classroom guidance lessons. "Distribute," the word reminds me of the scan sheets.

12:35 p.m. Only her head appears in the doorway as a secretary asks, "Tony's? What would you like?" I thank God for those angels, our secretaries, who remind me to eat when the day is too busy.

12:37 p.m. The phone rings again; this time, announcing the early arrival of the fire marshal and his assistant. I greet them and swallow slowly, deliberately, when I hear them say, "It's you. We need to be able to call on you and others in this school to help us if we need to do a department debriefing."

1:02 p.m. Noticing the time, I gather my plans and a book and rush off for a classroom guidance lesson. The topic is grief: what it is, how to work through it, and how to help a friend who is experiencing grief. We talk about music and food and lockers and assignments and patience and talking. The students participate eagerly, listen with rapt attention, and ask intriguing questions. Their teacher nods in approval, proud of her students' polite behavior and insight.

1:55 p.m. A voice message is now a live caller. Mama wants extra help for her daughter. I send for the child and sort through a file of printed e-mails and to find documentation of the child's tutorial attendance. When she arrives, we place a return call to Mama. I listen as mother and daughter talk and notice the child's quiet tears as she nods in response to her mother. Brief therapy for solution-building and another child's name is added to the growing list of students needing monitoring and encouraging.

2:10 p.m. Office aides load four sleeping bags and several sacks of donated food into my car in preparation for an after-school delivery to Grandmother. "After school," the mere words strike panic in my mind as I recall the waiting stack of progress report scan sheets.

While delivering the scan sheets, I am reminded that it is payday, overhear a study group discussing cell mutation, watch as a student with autism strokes a black-and-white puppy, observe seven lines of girls maneuvering basketballs, and enjoy parts of the National Anthem as the choir rehearses for a pep rally.

2:35 p.m. The secretaries and I begin planning for tomorrow's funeral, and a deliveryman wheels three unexpected boxes into my office.

2:40 p.m. Pushing the boxes against the wall, I hear the familiar ding signaling incoming e-mail. A teacher needs me to see a crying student.

2:43 p.m. With less than an hour to go, a coach stops by to talk about debriefing the other students who have lost parents in the past year. Together, we compile a list of eight students who represent seven families--seven funerals, each as unique as the families themselves.

4:20 p.m. The school day concludes. I log my hours with their explanation into the computer and then collect the things that I must take home. Juggling a full backpack, directions to Grandmother's and to the funeral, an almost-empty bottle of water, and an uneaten salad, I close the blinds, calm the computer and the lights, and lock the door.

5:10 p.m. Traffic--a strange relaxation; a chance to process the day before entering into my other world. A world where the car is in the garage again; where my son anticipates Mom's cheering for his team tomorrow afternoon. A lonely feeling creeps in at the thought of my husband's absence and then is silenced by remembrances of my sister's request for help with her remodeling project. And then, as my mind reviews the weekend, it returns to school, to the funeral tomorrow morning, and another opportunity to support my larger family, to reach out to the community, to be a role model, a resource, and a partner in solution building.

And I think, "OK, counselor, how will you take care of yourself?" Tonight there will be a long hug for the kids and an overdue phone call to far-away loved ones. Tomorrow, an abbreviated jog; the funeral; and then, a treat, a half-caf, soy, card mocha, extra hot.

DISCUSSION

As this counselor demonstrates, the school counselor must move quickly among the various roles of guidance teacher, individual counselor, academic counselor, crisis intervention specialist, and consultant, roles recommended by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA, 2004). In one day, this counselor met with seven students, conducted a guidance lesson on grief, coordinated efforts to provide food and sleeping bags and delivered them, and consulted 18 times with various individuals and groups, including district and school administrators, teachers, school committees, neighborhood resources, colleagues, parents, and a grandmother. She answered 18 e-mails and telephone calls and initiated at least four phone calls to find resources for the children who lost everything in a house fire.

The majority of this counselor's time was spent in consultation activities. Due to the increased diversity of students, severity of mental health concerns, and lack of administrative resources, many counselors are stretched to their limits (Sears, 2002). For this reason, consultation activities may better be able to positively affect more students and families, as well as the school climate (Mathias, 1992). Although consultation is one of the core academic areas stressed by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP, 2001) for school counseling, it is often not given the same emphasis in college preparation programs as counseling and guidance activities. In a recent survey, Perusse, Goodnough, and Noel (2001) found that only 20% of 189 school counseling preparation programs offered a course in consultation. More emphasis may need to be given to consultation models and their implementation.

Despite many counselors having the required courses and practicum experiences, they still may not have the necessary qualities to be effective counselors. ASCA's Vision Into Action (Dahir, Sheldon, & Valiga, 1998) outlines the national standards for school counseling programs and how to implement them but does not address training and preparation of school counselors (Schmidt & Ciechalski, 2001). It is CACREP that outlines requirements for school counselors, yet they do not address some of the important qualities necessary to be effective. Counseling preparatory programs normally stress the need for counselors to develop their skills in the basic core conditions of the helping relationship--warmth, empathy, genuineness, and the ability to remain nonjudgmental--however, other qualities also are needed (Capuzzi & Gross, 2001, p. 308). After examination of this counselor's log, three such qualities stand out: the ability to remain flexible, to build relationships, and to remain objective when dealing with the many demands on time and energy.

Flexibility

Effective school counselors learn to plan for change in meeting the needs and expectations of a diverse group of students, administrators, families, and teachers (Capuzzi & Gross, 2001). One middle school counselor stated, "Part of my joy as a middle school counselor is the endless variety that exists; part of my challenge is being not only prepared but flexible for that variety" (Gibson & Mitchell, 2003, p. 60). Although the counselor in her log described how she had planned certain activities during the day, she remained flexible enough to locate resources for the children who had lost their father and belongings in a fire, to respond to the fire department's inquiry about a debriefing, and to consult with administrators and teachers.

To help counseling students understand the need to be flexible, counselor educators might incorporate ongoing experiential activities into the curriculum, such as shadowing experienced counselors or facilitating meaningful discourse about expectations and personal requirements of school counselors. Other activities might include using role plays or psychodrama activities to simulate job responsibilities.

Relationship Building

Another important quality of effective school counselors is an understanding of the various roles and responsibilities of others in the school, district, and community; how to navigate within and between the variety of people who have different but important resources; and how to build collegial relationships with other counselors. This requires ongoing relationship building and communication at all levels. The effectiveness of counselor interventions will be enhanced or undermined, depending on how the counselor develops these relationships and navigates different systems. As this counselor's log illustrates, it is especially important to build positive and supportive relationships with building principals, remembering that "little takes place in most schools without principal approval" (Muro & Kottman, 1995, p. 69). Bonnie Bernard (1993), a leading researcher in resiliency, states, "A nurturing school climate has the power to overcome incredible risk factors in the lives of children. What is far less acknowledged is that creating this climate for students necessitates creating this environment for all school personnel" (p. 48).

To develop this understanding of educational responsibilities, counselor educators might ask that students develop organizational charts and maps, illustrating roles and resources of a selected school system. Shoffner and Williamson (2000) found that offering a seminar in administration and counseling to preservice students helped students become aware of the different roles and responsibilities and how they might cooperate once they begin their professions. Counselor educators also might emphasize the collegial relationships that counselors have with one another and work to build those relationships before students graduate. This mutual reliance can be fostered through group projects, study groups, and group supervision in which an environment of safety is created, so that students feel free to share their ideas and concerns about their clients and themselves.

Objectivity

A third quality that stands out about this counselor is her ability to remain objective despite the onslaught of requests, crises, and time demands. Keeping this objectivity requires the counselor to not allow personal feelings, such as stress or anger, to interfere with the counseling role. In a sense, all are clients when it comes to building a positive climate for the academic and emotional success of students, so it is important for the counselor to develop an unconditional attitude of acceptance of all individuals, without expectations of their behavior toward him or her (Capuzzi & Gross, 2001).

Objectivity can be enhanced in counseling programs by encouraging peer supervision, which has the advantage of offering support while also providing different perspectives regarding student and school concerns, as well as job stress. Counselor educators also may encourage counselors to use stress management and self-care techniques, such as meditation, yoga, exercise, or deep breathing. Just as this counselor remembered to take care of herself at the end of the day, the counseling student needs to be reminded of the importance of self-care.

CONCLUSIONS

Although a number of qualities and skills have been discussed, counselor educators, policy makers, and district coordinators need to reexperience, on a regular basis, what counselors actually do in schools by volunteering in the schools, shadowing counselors, and being open to honest feedback about what is helpful and needed. This will enable them to better understand trends in student, administrative, teacher, and community needs and to make adjustments to education, standards, and policy.

Hopefully, through this recursive interaction, the quality of school counseling programs will continue to evolve to better enhance the quality of living and learning for all youth from kindergarten through 12th grade.

References

American School Counselor Association. (2004). The role of the professional school counselor. Retrieved August 24, 2004, from http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?contentid=240

Bernard, B. (1993). Fostering resiliency in kids. Educational Leadership, 57 (3), 44-48.

Capuzzi, D., & Gross, D. R. (2001). Introduction to the counseling profession. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2001). 2007 standards. Retrieved June 10, 2004, from http://www.cacrep.org/ 2001 Standards

Dahir, C., Sheldon, C., & Valiga, M. (1998). Vision into action: Implementing the national standards for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.

Frankl, V. (1984). Man's search for meaning. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Gibson, R. L., & Mitchell, M. H. (2003). Introduction to counseling and guidance (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Merrill/Prentice-Hail. Mathias, C. (1992). Touching the lives of children: Consultative interventions that work. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 26, 190-202.

Muro, J., & Kottman, T. (1995). Guidance and counseling in the elementary and middle schools. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.

Perusse, R., Goodnough, G. E., & Noel, C. J. (2001). A national survey of school counselor preparation programs: Screening methods, faculty experiences, curricular content, and fieldwork requirements. Counselor Education and Supervision, 40, 252-262.

Schmidt, J., & Ciechalski, J. (2001). School counseling standards: A summary and comparison with other student services' standards. Professional School Counseling, 4, 328-334.

Sears, S. (2002). School counseling now and in the future: A reaction. Professional School Counseling, 5, 164-172.

Shoffner, M. F., & Williamson, R. D. (2000). Engaging preservice school counselors and principals in dialogue and collaboration. Counselor Education and Supervision, 40, 128-141.

Elizabeth R. Taylor, Ph.D., is an associate professor of counseling in the School of Education at Texas Christian University, Forth Worth.