I am 1 of 4 school counselors in our school, where many of our students are dealing with various crises in their home lives. My office, and the office of my fellow school counselors, is a safe space for students to come and gain support for dealing with these daily challenges. Without this additional support from myself, my fellow school counselors and the teachers, many of our students would not make it successfully throughout the school day. For example, there are many points when students are sent to me in such an upset state, that it is not only a distraction for THEM, but it causes conflicts between them, their peers, and/or their teachers. Many times, our students' emotions are so escalated that it can put them in a full-blown panic.
It is a well-known fact amongst mental health professionals that one way to ease a panic attack, is to have a drink of water. Yet, many of the drinking fountains in our school have been turned off due to lead contamination. Having access to bottled water in each counselor's office would yield an opportunity for us to ease our students back into a calm mental and emotional state, thus allowing them to be more successful throughout the school day.
I know this may seem like a simple thing to most, but for our students, it is not. Many of our students come from low socio-economic homes and they do not come to school prepared with food & drink. Instead, they depend on the school to provide it for them. When I, as a counselor, greet an student in an escalated emotional state, and I cannot even offer them so much as a small drink of water to help them calm down, it leaves us both at a disadvantage.
About my class
I am 1 of 4 school counselors in our school, where many of our students are dealing with various crises in their home lives. My office, and the office of my fellow school counselors, is a safe space for students to come and gain support for dealing with these daily challenges. Without this additional support from myself, my fellow school counselors and the teachers, many of our students would not make it successfully throughout the school day. For example, there are many points when students are sent to me in such an upset state, that it is not only a distraction for THEM, but it causes conflicts between them, their peers, and/or their teachers. Many times, our students' emotions are so escalated that it can put them in a full-blown panic.
It is a well-known fact amongst mental health professionals that one way to ease a panic attack, is to have a drink of water. Yet, many of the drinking fountains in our school have been turned off due to lead contamination. Having access to bottled water in each counselor's office would yield an opportunity for us to ease our students back into a calm mental and emotional state, thus allowing them to be more successful throughout the school day.
I know this may seem like a simple thing to most, but for our students, it is not. Many of our students come from low socio-economic homes and they do not come to school prepared with food & drink. Instead, they depend on the school to provide it for them. When I, as a counselor, greet an student in an escalated emotional state, and I cannot even offer them so much as a small drink of water to help them calm down, it leaves us both at a disadvantage.
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