Burnout and the STD's of School Counseling

BURNOUT

One of the best student counselors I have ever had the pleasure of working with quit his job today.  It is another sad day for our educational system.

The number one reason for burnout in this field is obvious...caseload.  It is not logistically possible to handle all the children they are given and having to choose between cases is stressful. It is logical, counselors are like teachers, when they have too many students, the amount of learning and personal contact goes down. The American School Counselor Association recommends the ratio of students to counselors not exceed 250:1, it's closer to 400 in most schools.

The economy has not only taken a toll on counselors by giving them more students to work with, the work for each student has increased. Colleges are harder to get into. Most students have to enroll in numerous colleges including applications for early admission and further work for some on waiting lists.  One on one guidance sessions as well as writing college recommendations, helping with financial aid applications, the list goes on and on.

On top of that, counselors energies are often too weakened by what Dr. Esther Hugo calls the STD's of counseling - scheduling, testing and discipline. Then you add in freshman acclimation issues.

This nation has got to pay our teachers and counselors better and have more of them.

If you have the time to read it, this is The College Board National Office for School Counselor Advocacy 2011 National survey of school counselors, called Counseling at a Crossroads and it's scarily accurate.



photo credit: Magnus. via photopin cc