Celebrate National School Counseling Week with a Hug

The high school guidance counselors I know won’t have much time to celebrate National School Counseling Week (February 6-10) this year. They’re way too busy.

And here are a few reasons why:

• National student-to-school counselor rates increased last year to 459-1—a far cry from the 250-1 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association.

• Every nine seconds an American high school student becomes a dropout—that’s about one in four students who enter high school as freshmen fail to earn a diploma four years later.

• Forty-five percent of teenagers, ages 13 to 17, have said have felt high stress at numerous times throughout the year—nearly one in three girls and one in four boys report being highly stressed.

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year olds, and the sixth leading cause of death for 5- to 14-year olds.

• For every adolescent who completes suicide, there are between 50 and 200 suicide attempts.

• The current rate of marijuana and Ecstasy use among 12- to 17-year olds is back on the rise.

• As many as a quarter of high school students report being bullied during the most recent year studied by the NCES and about 7 percent were bullied online by other students.

Instead of going out for a celebration, school guidance counselors are helping kids address personal and social problems, substance abuse, attendance issues, and academics. They’re trying to keep kids from dropping out, doing dope, or causing harm to themselves or others—all within the context of caseloads that far exceed the wildest estimates of what anyone thinks is prudent or sane.

The American School Counselor Association recommends that parents “maintain an open dialogue with their child’s counselor and establish contact in-person, or via phone and email at least three times per school year.” Sounds good, but how often does it happen?

I work with local students and parents who have never met, nor think it’s particularly important to meet with their guidance counselor. In all fairness, the counselor may not have had time to reach out, and the system does seem to actively work to thwart the relationship. But still, the door is seldom entirely closed.

And yet when it comes time for applying to college, who do these same students and parents think organizes the school paperwork and writes recommendations? Who is currently in the process of gathering information for the all-important mid-year reports on which college candidacies may rise or fall? And how does anyone think these reports or recommendations can be anything but generic if there is no personal interaction at any time during the high school career?

So let’s begin breaking down barriers. Why not take a moment to make to start or renew a friendship in the guidance office? Take the occasion of National School Counseling Week to send an email, write a note, or stop by the office to thank the person behind the desk. Even better—drop by the principal’s office and tell the boss what a great job your counselor is doing.

And knowing many school counselors in every corner of the country, I’d say a hug would very likely be appreciated and warmly accepted.