Ukiah Unified School District (UUSD) Board of Trustees took action at their January 16, 2020, meeting to approve Resolution No. 13, 2019-20 proclaiming February 3-7, 2020, as National School Counseling Week. 

National School Counseling Week highlights the unique contribution of school counselors within school systems and the tremendous impact they can have in helping students achieve educational success and plan for a career. School counselors are certified, experienced educators with a master’s degree in school counseling. UUSD has school counselors helping students reach their full potential at each school in the district. The combination of their training and experience makes them an integral part of the total educational program. 

“The connections that our counselors make with students and families build and promote positive school culture and strengthens our education process. Thank you to all of our amazing school counselors for everything they do to make a difference in our student’s lives every day,” commented Deb Kubin, UUSD Superintendent.

School counselors help students by using a variety of approaches. They focus on positive ways to enhance students’ academic, postsecondary, and social/emotional development. By reviewing student data, counselors help identify struggling students and better understand which students are on track and which ones might need help. School counselors facilitate interventions with students who need help. Interventions may include individual meetings and planning with students, parent meetings and phone calls, study groups, conflict mediation, and individual or group counseling to support emotional well-being.  

Counselors help parents too. They offer strategies to help further the educational, personal, and social growth of their children. Counselors can help identify and utilize community resources that enhance and complement school counseling programs and help students become productive members of society. 

“School counselors work with all students to remove barriers to learning by addressing students’ academic concerns, postsecondary options and social/emotional skills,” said Kwok-Sze Wong, Ed.D., American School Counselor Association (ASCA) executive director. “School counseling programs help to increase student achievement and provide a much-needed resource for students, parents, teachers and administrators. School counselors are integral to student success.”

Parents with questions about school counseling programs should contact your student’s school, and please visit www.schoolcounselor.org if you want more information about school counselors.