BENEFIT OF EDUCATIONAL COUNSELING AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO YOU
Background information
The profession called counselling is very substantial in different sectors of our lives. Education is not an exception to this, as counsellors play a very important role in the lives of students and eventually see them through their academic careers. This is so because, at all levels of education, students need to take one decision or the other; as young people, they also need to be properly guided to prevent them from making the wrong decisions. Therefore, any school without proper counselling services for the students is at risk of exposing the students to wrong academic choices.
Just as relationship counsellors are essential in building a healthy relationship, educational or academic counsellors are also very important in bringing the best out of students while they are still young.
Also, educational counsellors are not just for the students but could have a reason to interact with parents for the betterment of their children.
Therefore, this article is written to highlight the benefits and roles that academic counsellors play in improving the lives of students.
Who are educational counsellors?
Educational or academic counsellors are professionals that are either hired or employed by institutions of learning to enable students to make the right choices in their academics.
Roles
- Right career choice
This is the primary role of educational counsellors in schools. They must discuss with students on an individual basis, understand them and guide them towards making the best career choice. Their role also extends to organising the student’s subject combination that will lead to their respective careers. Also, in some cases, many students may have made up their minds to study a particular course without having the full knowledge of what that career choice entails. It is now the duty of the counsellor to enlighten the student on what it takes to venture into such a career path, the level of knowledge, skills, as well as the dangers associated with the field.
- Emotional support
As students progress in their academic pursuits, there are challenges that may be confronting them or tend to drive them away from fully focusing on their academics. Some of these problems could be a family crisis, peer pressure, financial instability and many other factors. It is, therefore, the duty of the counsellor to give the student professional advice on how to balance all these factors without them influencing the level of their academic progress.
- Parental interaction
As we all know, parents send their children to school but are not always with them in school. It’s counsellors and teachers that are always with them in school. As such, counsellors know most of the problems students face, and in situations where the solution to these problems involves parents, it is their responsibility to reach out to their parents.
On the other hand, parents could utilise their relationship with counsellors to know the strength and weaknesses of their children and how to encourage them to overcome their weaknesses.
- Interaction with school management
It is quite obvious that the counsellor is part of the school management, but you would agree with me that the relationship between the school counsellor and students would be more cordial than that with the proprietor. In essence, the counsellor is closest to the student; this puts him in a better position to know the ills in the school system. He is also in a better position to understand the problems that student face, either in terms of facilities, teaching methods, and every other problem that is within the power of the management to solve. The counsellor interacts with students and takes their complaints to the school management for solutions.
- Social Importance
Apart from situations when the counsellor meets students one on one for counselling services, it is also their duty to regularly present talks to the general student population Topics like how to live in peace and harmony, the dangers of engaging in social vices, how to manage peer group influence, the dangers of cultism and many other topics that revolve around youthful exuberance should be discussed. This is very important because, in a situation where young minds are not properly guided, room is given for bad influences to set in.
- Opportunity for enlightenment
In schools, there are many opportunities for students to get financial assistance. This could be through scholarship opportunities, mathematics competitions, essay writing etc. Therefore, when such opportunities arise, it is the duty of the counsellor to reach out to the students and encourage them to participate.
- Supervising extracurricular activities
There are extracurricular activities that promote unity, proper mental health, coordination and socialisation. It is incumbent on the school counsellor to regulate both academic and extracurricular activities. Without a counsellor, there is a tendency for academic activities to eliminate extra curricular activities. The counsellor should be able to create time and discuss with the school management to acknowledge the importance of extracurricular activities and their advantages to mental health.
- Excursions and seminars
It lies within the responsibility of counsellors to take students out on excursions to places of interest. This motivates them to study better, and it also gives them the opportunity to practically observe what they were theoretically taught in school. This helps to balance learning processes and also brings better retention of what they are taught.
Apart from excursions, there are days when international bodies organise seminars for students. An example is the International malaria day, where students from different schools gather together and are enlightened on ways to prevent themselves from infection. The counsellor should ensure that students don’t miss such opportunities to be properly informed.
Conclusion
Children are said to be the leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, they should be properly guided to know what is right in order to actually become responsible leaders.
Also, proprietors and school owners should prioritise the availability of counsellors in our institutions of learning, just the same way they place a premium on the quality of teachers.
To speak with any of our counsellors at Light House Counselling, call or WhatsApp +2348055507808.
We provide 5 different types of Counseling ranging from Marriage and Family Counselling, Educational Counselling, Rehabilitation Counselling, Mental Health Counselling, and Substance Abuse Counselling.
We have professionals and we provide affordable services.