It’s National School Counseling Week! Every day this week, we will be highlighting counselors in our district who have gone above and beyond to help our students. Today we are highlighting Director of School Counseling Beth Letourneau.
Why did you become a school counselor?
I became a school counselor because I love to encourage, advocate and support students. A school environment is a place with great energy and I love being part of that. I had an awesome school counselor in high school who inspired me (shoutout to Mrs. Cole) to join this incredible field. It is important that every student know that they are important and I hope at the end of the day that I have a part in making students feel that way about themselves.
What do you love about being a school counselor?
I consider myself lucky to have a career in school counseling and a job I LOVE. No day is ever the same as a school counselor. I get to work primarily with teens as they figure out not only who they are but also who they want to be. I love the "realness" of teens as they let me know if my "fit" is not quite on point or if an assembly I organized was "bussin" or "lame".
I am fortunate to both live and work in the same community so I get to see our students working at their first job or passing them on the road as they are taking their drivers test. I am a proud SHS graduate (SHS Class of 1996) and know that we offer our students incredible opportunities and a welcoming school community. In my role I also get to support K-12 school counselors and social workers in our district which is also a passion of mine.
These professionals strive to give all of our students in the district what they need. In elementary it may be a monthly assembly to highlight what it means to persevere and reviewing data to make a referral for a student in need of an intervention, at SMS it is working with an group of students on social skills or facilitating staffing for students and at SHS it is presenting a classroom lesson on academic planning and helping a student process the breakup of their first dating relationship. No matter what the age school counseling has an impact on all Sanford students.
What does a school counselor do?
A school counselor works in 3 specific domains: academic, career and the social emotional development of students. There is no typical day as a school counselor but my days often include 1:1 meetings with students, running a small group, making referrals to community partners, checking in with or responding to teacher/parent emails, reviewing data, consulting with administrators or school counselors/social workers, program planning and much more. You have to be able to multitask and prioritize as this is an incredibly busy job.