Empowering School Counselors to Increase Their Impact on Students and Teachers
The Increasing Importance of School Counselors
One thing the last two years have taught us is that due to the many emotional and social impacts of this pandemic on students and staff, the role that counselors have in our schools has become increasingly important . Today school counselors are like the Swiss army knives of education, filling so many important support roles for both students and staff. From guidance counseling to class changes, social and emotional supports to behavioral interventions, or testing, counselors do it all! In this webinar our panel of educators discuss challenges we are facing today and what we can do to support and empower school counselors as they focus on fostering resilience in students and becoming a greater resource for our staff.
Panelists
Denise is the Coordinator for Guidance and Counseling, working with the 173 counselors in 65 schools serving 68,000 students. Supporting Mental Health is a focus for Conroe ISD in Conroe, Texas. These efforts are strategically driven by prevention, intervention. crisis response and providing resources for support to students, parents and staff. Denise passionate about working with young people to help them realize their potential and encourages them to reach for their dreams while freeing themselves from being victims of their past. She is a strong advocate of Reality therapy and teaching the importance of effective communication skills, patience, and acceptance of individual differences. She is dedicated to teaching Resiliency, grit, and using failures as fuel for future success.
Roger Gurganus is Principal at Patrick Henry Middle School, a 8-9 building in Woodhaven, MI. He has a passion for children and education and strives to ensure that every student is connected and feels part of the positive communities he creates. Along with creating a culture of hope and love in his own middle school, Roger also is committed to bringing hope, love and education to the children of Uganda, Africa where each summer he travels in hope of making a bigger difference in the lives of students who need it the most. Roger believes that teaching is not a job, but rather a calling and hopes that through his work, lives can be changed, dreams can become reality and mountains can be moved. Roger was named the Administrator of the Year 2021-22 by the Michigan School Counselors Association.
Betsy is a School Counselor at Patrick Henry Middle School in Woodhaven, MI. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and provides supervision for LLCs. Betsy is passionate about writing and teaching classroom lessons and providing small group support to her students. In 2019 Patrick Henry Middle School earned the Recognized ASCA Model Program Award. Betsy currently serves the Michigan School Counseling Association as the Middle School Level VP and Michigan Comprehensive School Counseling Program and RAMP chair for the MSCA and is the 2021 Michigan School Counselor of the Year.
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance. Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.