Self-Care through Professional Learning

Engaging in continuing education is even more necessary considering the student mental health crisis declared after the pandemic. We have all seen increased student behaviors, anxiety, depression, and other concerns negatively affecting student achievement. I vividly remember the fall of 2020. Our middle school was back in person, and in a couple of months, I had more students struggling with suicide ideation and anxiety, failing classes, missing school, and being referred for discipline issues than the entire previous school year. I knew I had to continue to learn and grow my counseling skills to identify and work with students needing services. I also had to understand how to ethically and appropriately provide direct interventions, effectively consult and collaborate with families and school staff, and work with outside mental health providers to ensure continuity of care between the therapist’s office and the classroom. All of this was in addition to staying up-to-date on what students needed from me to support their academic and college/career development. I definitely did not get this information and training during staff meetings. Once I learned more and acquired additional resources and tools, I felt more competent and effective in my work which went a long way in helping me successfully make it through that school year. In addition to the above, our professional standards and competencies and our ethical standards task school counselors with engaging in continued professional learning for our practice and for the purpose of providing professional learning for school staff. Staying up-to-date with trends and student needs (ASCA Ethical Standard B.3.e.) ensures we provide appropriate ethical services for students. It has the additional benefit of increasing our self-efficacy, which in turn aids in preventing burnout. There is a further need to do so if we serve as site supervisors for school counselors-in-training (ASCA Ethical Standards D.b. & D.l). Reviewing these foundational documents and ASCA Position Statements is a good starting point to determine what areas to focus on for professional learning.