Perceived Roles

Until I reached 11th grade, my perception of guidance counselors were related to social/personal issues. Something like a psychologist is what I viewed them as. In my mind, I had no need for them because I thought if you were having problems at home, they would be the ones to see. Toward the end of my 11th grade year, I began associating counselors with college. I noticed that every announcement involving juniors and seniors with regard to college, was associated with the counselor. So, at this point, my understanding was they were a resource and the go to person for questions about college. Now, being on the teaching side of things, I view counselors as a multitude of things but mainly a bridge. They are in fact the people to go to if you are having personal/social issues because they are a neutral (non-threatening) 3rd party. They are also a great wealth of information. (From a parent perspective, the key is being able to catch one available to actually answer your questions.) But mainly, they can be the bridge to the future for students. With their knowledge and resources, they assist students through their current and into their next stage in life. Because my grandparents had no idea about or interest in college, for me, a counselor ended up walking me through the steps for college providing me with my transcripts etc. that I needed.