We hope that Ms. Durack is settling in well to this new CHS community. You can make her feel welcome by saying hi to her in the hallway or in your classroom. Thanks, Ms. Durack!
MS. FARHAT
By Hazel Slezak and Siaana Jawant. Grade 5.
Today, we are going to learn more about Ms. Farhat. Read on to learn about Ms. Farhat and her journey to becoming a counsellor.
Why did you choose to become a counsellor? I really enjoy talking to students and getting to know them. I felt that it would be easier, and I could do that more effectively in a counselling space than in a classroom. When I was teaching P. E., I would sometimes spend more time talking with my students than teaching them, which I know wasn’ t a bad thing; I just wanted more time to do both. So in a counselling space, I would have the opportunity to do that more.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a counsellor? When I was in university, I thought I wanted to be a sports psychologist and work with athletes to help them with their mental game, so you can say I knew pretty early on. But it wasn ' t until my second year of teaching that I realized that I wanted to be a counsellor. And working in a school would be a better fit for me.
Have you ever had experience as a counsellor before? Back in university, my friend and I used to run sports psychology workshops for athletes. We would work with sports teams to work on everything outside of sports, like goal setting or how to deal with the pressure of sports. So I ran those workshops back in university, and I also coached a bunch of sports, so I thought it would be cool to bring the two worlds together and become a counsellor.
Which age student would you like to be a counsellor for? I definitely know that I would like to work with students. I can’ t say right now which age because it is so early on in my counselling, but I am excited to work with all grades. I love just hearing what everybody has to say and connecting with students. Right now, I think I don’ t want to work with adults; I would rather work with students.
If you had to say any counsellor-type words to people who are having a rough time in school, what would you say to them? I would definitely say that I am really sorry that they are having a difficult time, and I want them to know that I am here to help them get through the rough patch. I want them to know that they are not alone and they don’ t have to go through this tough time by themselves. I would remind they can talk to me, or the other wonderful counsellors, and if they don’ t feel comfortable coming to a counsellor, I hope they have a trusted adult. I would hate for them to feel like they had to go through this tough time alone.
What type of counsellor would you like to be? I would like to be a counsellor whom students feel comfortable talking to, and sharing any issues or what is going on in their lives. I want to be open-minded, and just as I teach, I like to make sure people are having fun, they feel supported, and I want my counselling space to be a welcoming environment.
When you become a counsellor, what approach would you like to take? I want to be the kind of counsellor who reminds students that they aren’ t the problem, the problem is the problem. Sometimes we say things like,“ I’ m so bad at math” or“ I’ m the worst,” and we forget about all the amazing things we’ re good at. I want to help students see their strengths and figure out ways to handle whatever challenge is getting in the way.
I also want to come into every conversation with curiosity and an open mind. Getting to know each student, what they like, what they’ re proud of, and what makes them unique can help us work together to find solutions that fit them.
My goal in my approach is to help students feel confident, capable, and never alone with their problems.
What is the process to become a counsellor? To become a school counsellor, you have to have a teaching degree first. Then you apply to what ' s called the Master ' s of Counselling. You need to get your Master ' s in school counselling, so that’ s what I’ m doing right now. If you want to do counselling that is not in a school, then you will need to have a university degree, and then you will apply to another program to become a counsellor who works outside of schools. It is a Master ' s of Counselling or a Master ' s of Social Work.
How long will it take you to become a counsellor? My schooling is two years, and I’ m about halfway finished with my master ' s program. Then, after that, I
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