Springfield Public Schools counselors ready for new school year

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The new school year is upon us and like teachers, parents, as well as students, the school counselors are also ready to have their hands full.

"What is recommended is 250 students to 1 counselor," Jenfier Shepard, SPS Coordinator of Counselors said. "Typically, it's going to be higher than that, just based on the number of students in our buildings and the number of counselors that we have at each site."

Back in the day, they were referred to as 'guidance counselors,' which Shepard says is because one of their main roles was to prepare students for life after school.

Counselors today are working more with students about life during school.

"Some of that is going to vary depending on if they're in an elementary or a middle or high school, but they're going into classrooms and delivering counseling curriculum that's appropriate for that age of student. They're also doing crisis intervention for students that are experiencing a crisis at school. They might be connecting them with resources that the family needs as far as like food, clothing or shelter," Shepard said. "There's always the academic piece, so helping with their schedule, for some of our older students for middle and high school, and getting them in the right classes, that's a good fit for them. Communicating with parents, working with teachers to support students based on their unique needs so every day can look really different for each counselor. You never really know what's going to walk through the door and what you're going to be doing that day, but that's a little bit of what a day might look like for a counselor. It's absolutely crucial that we have school counselors in our buildings."

Anxiety and depression remain a major issue counselors hear from students, but Shepard says she's anticipating a new issue due to a recent state law.

"Probably some of the main things we're hearing are issues with technology, maybe some addiction with phones and social media, how that impacts self-esteem and online bullying. I think that comes up a lot as they get older and are exposed to more or maybe have their own devices like cell phones and things like that. Anxiety and depression is definitely still prevalent. I think it's also kind of tied closely to some of that. If they're, you know, connecting with a lot of people on social media and comparison and that kind of thing, but anxiety and depression is definitely still something that's really prevalent," Shepard said.

Shepard says more students are speaking up about mental health and suicidal ideations, which Shepard says isn't necessarily a sign that mental health issues are getting worse, but rather a sign that more students are comfortable speaking to counselors about what's going on with their mental health.

"It does mean the stigma is going down a bit and they're more comfortable talking about it and when they're told like, 'hey, if you're struggling and you need help, come talk to us or tell a trusted adult', and so that can also be what that increase means," Shepard said.