Perspectives on a Career in School Counseling

As counselor educators, we have many opportunities to listen to our students' ideas about a career in school counseling. Students who are enrolled in internships often have the idealism they held early in their graduate study challenged by the realities of everyday life in schools. One school counseling intern recently wrote:

I want to do so much when I work with students at my internship site; however, I don't seem to have the time to do what I want to do. I guess I hoped to change the world when I started my counselor education program. Now, I'm not so sure about how much I'll be able to accomplish. My supervisor, a terrific counselor, encourages me to be optimistic - - and I really am trying. BUT, the question I face every afternoon when I leave my internship school is: how am I going to have a positive influence on students' lives?

How are you going to have a positive influence on students' lives through a career in school counseling? Tell us what you think.