Counselor Vision in Our Lives,

Counselor Vision

In our lives, each of us serves the purpose of both a leader and a follower; we have the dual nature of both teacher and student, mentor and prodigy. We have the opportunity to make a difference in other people's lives and to change the world around us for the better. We also have the benefit of drawing from those with experience. Building a successful community is a group effort, something that we must come together as a team to achieve. None of us are isolated or completely alone in life, and if we look around we will find that we have all of the tools and resources we could ever need for success already at our fingertips, and the skills needed to wield these tools can be learned from others around us. I feel that the most basic and vital philosophy of being a counselor is based on this principle: we must each strive to make ourselves available as a role model and mentor for those in need of guidance, and at the same time we must be open to learning everything we can from the leaders and teachers around us, even if they are not appearing in an obvious form.

My vision of a successful counselor is one who can both give and take from the students, parents, and other school workers in a positive and beneficial relationship. Many "mentor" figures, in the lives of teenagers especially, can come across as nothing more than authority figures trying to exert undeserved power over the younger generation. In these cases, the teenager is unable to benefit from any wisdom that may be offered, regardless of how valid or insightful it may be, because he or she will be unable to believe that this person actually has selfless or altruistic intentions. As a counselor, I believe in creating a symbiotic relationship with every member of my community, focusing on those in my school, and specifically with every individual who walks through my office door. I have wisdom to share with the students under my guidance, and as a successful teacher I know that I have much wisdom to gain. This understanding gives me an ability to listen and to speak freely, like flowing water, and allows me to fully appreciate the condition and concerns and situations that are faced by the people I work with and communicate with every day. I know that a counselor must not be seen as an authority figure, but rather as a resource that can be tapped like a well; old fashioned water pumps need to have water put into them before they can dispense water, and counseling must be approached in this manner. A student (or parent or teacher or coworker) must feel comfortable with their counselor as a peer as well as a guide in order to develop trust and get the most out of the relationship.