Gwinnett County Public Schools: GCPS School Counselors… Creating A Culture Of Belonging To Support The Whole Learner

Press release from Gwinnett County Public Schools:

02.09.22

This week—National School Counseling Week (Feb. 7-11)—we celebrate our school counselors and the vital work they do to support our children and young people, and the adults who support our students.

Gwinnett counselors are held in the highest regard within the school counseling profession. Gwinnett school counselors and many who support school counseling have accumulated more than 100 state and national awards, the most of any school district in the nation.

“Long considered an integral part of a school’s support system, school counselors bring a wealth of insight and resources to a variety of student-centered issues,” says Dr. Demetria Williams, GCPS’ director of Advisement and Counseling. “School counselors work with students, individually and collectively, to create a school climate that leads to healthy learning, living, and growth.”

Dr. Williams notes that school counselors help students apply academic achievement strategies, manage emotions, apply interpersonal skills, and plan college and career options. Our counselors provide a wide range of services such as individual sessions with students who are dealing with emotional distress, college admissions and financial aid workshops, small-group targeted interventions to support academic success or promote positive peer relationships, classroom lessons , and crisis response. Counselors collaborate with families, teachers, administrators, school social workers, and community agencies to create new paths of learning, achievement, and self-discovery for our students. Our counselors remove barriers to learning, guide students as they make plans for the future, and support student’s emotional and physical well-being.

“School counselors provide a space for students to feel safe, nurtured, empowered, and heard, thus helping to create a culture where all students can thrive and feel a sense of belonging,” adds Dr. Williams. “While much of this work is done behind the scenes, it makes a difference in the lives of our students. More importantly, that difference resides in the hearts and minds of students who can lead stronger, healthier lives, thanks to the school counselor who supported them.”

Thank you to all of our school counselors for all that they do to create a culture of belonging to support our students!

#ThankACounselor #AwareExplorePrepare #GCPSCounseling

About School Counseling in GCPS…

AWARENESS Counselors raise awareness in all areas that contribute to a student’s well-being and overall school success. From kindergarten to high school, counselors teach the importance of hard work and a strong work ethic. Through intentional lessons, students learn skills that promote academic achievement, self-management, and appropriate behaviors. Through counselor-led activities, students become aware of their abilities and develop and enhance the skills necessary to fulfill their potential.

EXPLORATION Counselors lead exploration activities and processes to ensure students are reaching beyond the limitations of their personal experiences. They encourage students to dream big and reach higher, working diligently to help their students develop the skills required for success. Through exploration, counselors encourage out-of-the-box thinking, creativity, and new ways of learning. These activities expose students to previously unknown career options and possible futures. Serving as guides, mentors, facilitators, and cheerleaders, counselors move students toward endless possibilities for their futures.

PREPARATIONSchool counselors engage students and facilitate activities that aid in the preparation of critical skills in the areas of academics, careers, and personal success. Skills— such as problem-solving, time management, teamwork, prioritizing, and self-management— are taught early in elementary and continually reinforced and further developed through middle and high school. Counselors ensure that students are able to apply these skills through the lens of self-awareness and situational discernment.

This press release was produced by Gwinnett County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.