School Counseling (咨询)
In our grandparents' time, it was unthinkable. In our parents' time, it was unusual and nobody spoke openly about counseling. These days, more and more schools are asking for this service and it is considered a necessity for most. Why is it? What has changed in the last fifty years to have made counseling at schools so important?
"One reason is that we expect schools to do more to protect their pupils than we did in the past," says school counselor, Mike Hudson. "Also, our society doesn't work as well as it should. Many parents are either under pressure of work or face the economic problems of unemployment, while children are under more and more pressure to do well at school. Many pupils feel they are pushed to their limits by their parents and teachers. "
Most school children face some kind of relationship problem at some stage with family members, teachers or other pupils, so it helps to have somebody to talk to.
From the pupil's point of view, it is easier to talk to a counselor in confidence rather than a family member or teacher. This solution is less embarrassing to pupils, who are not forced to face the person that they had problems with in the first place. They can calmly talk things through without arguments.
School counselors advise not only students but also their teachers and parents, and offer other services as well, such as deciding learning disabilities or assisting parents and guardians to make the correct decisions about their children's education.
Counselors can help students with problems ranging from the most serious, like a death in the family, to what an adult would consider really trivial, like an argument with a friend.
In a society that is becoming more and more stressful, this service is providing children with a supportive way to express their fear and worries.
