This fall, the South Salem counseling department launched a digital counselor meeting sign-up database and revamped their website.
At the close of the 2018-19 school year, school office specialist Zori [last name] presented the idea to the Saxon counseling staff, in hopes of eliminating barriers to student-counselor communication. South counselor Ryan Marshall noticed a pattern in student feedback: many either didn’t know how to sign up for a meeting, or found the process of vocalizing their request at the counseling desk anxiety-inducing.
Saxon counseling website now features a Google form students may use to request counseling appointments. Students can access the website via their own computer or device or via a chromebook in the counseling office. Both options ensure student-counselor privacy for those nervous to schedule counseling meeting with third parties.
As Marshall explained, South’s guidance counseling programs aims to support students in any way they can, and specializes in three main areas: personal and social counseling, academic counseling, and college and career counseling.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that more than 1 in 6 teens are diagnosed with a mental illness, and many more go undiagnosed and untreated. Going through daily struggles without a proper support system, like many students do, is incredibly difficult regardless of mental health. Access to personal and social counseling is growing increasingly essential for young people as mental illness rates and reports of suicide ideation rise among their age range.
“We recognize that sharing our own struggles and questions with anyone else can be a huge challenge.” said Marshall. “ It takes a ton of courage and that’s not lost on us at all. We promise the five of us are super friendly and try to be as inviting and welcoming as possible. We work really hard to create an office free of judgment and full of empowerment. Part of that commitment is in adopting this new request process as a way to provide the easiest access to seeing a counselor.”
Saxon counseling also added a college visit schedule and informational video about the counseling program from Freshman Parent Night. As always, their site includes a letter of recommendation request form, transcript request form, and a plethora of other college, career, and school registration resources.
It can be reached at bit.ly/saxoncounseling or among the link list on the “Student” page on southsaxons.com.
