How do counselors at schools behave differently outside of school? The answer to that is many counselors behave differently in their own ways. At Briar Woods High School, our newest counselor, Shannon Gresh, is proof of that answer.
Shannon Gresh, claims that supporting students academically and supporting student’s plans after high school are some of the main goals of being a counselor.
In Mrs. Gresh’s opinion, being a counselor, changes how she acts with strangers. She asserts, “I think so, I kind of approach people with an open mind and I like to feel like I’m a welcoming person that has conversations without judgment and I feel like I’m curious about people.”
When Ms. Gresh was in school, she played sports, such as; soccer, basketball she ran track.
Moreover what inspired her to become a counselor was the fact she coached kids and she enjoyed working with kids and later in college she explored different avenues that allowed her to work with kids which later landed her in counseling.
Training to become a counselor can be tough. Mrs. Gresh adds, “Counseling is very rigorous. My program was a two year program. So it went through the summer. You’re doing a lot of self reflection, too, in terms of what makes you you, and what might be a trigger for you? And then what areas you would like to work with. In addition to learning the skills to make you become a good counselor.”
Being a counselor does not necessarily mean being an extroverted person, all students react differently to different social people. Mrs. Gresh is an introvert and extrovert and to make a student feel comfortable with sharing information it’s best to not put pressure on them or ask personal questions at the start.
Mrs Gresh contends,seeing students face-to-face as a counselor is better than working at home and hosting online meetings.
Counselors very much do have their ways of spending their time after work, she emphasizes, “Yes, I have 2 kids and my husband and my dog, so I very much look
forward to just going and spending time with them.”
Tacos, more specifically taco bowls, is one of Mrs. Gresh’s favorite dishes.
Mrs. Gresh has a gluten allergy that limits her fast food options and she also claims that she is a big chipotle fan.
If Mrs Gresh was not a counselor, she would be in a career related to nutrients and health since she is passionate about that area but does not know what she would be working as, if not a counselor.
Moreover, Mrs Gresh has advice for anyone interested in pursuing a career in
counseling. “I would just say, like you know, do your research right there’s a lot of school counseling programs out there, if you think it could be right for you make sure you’re looking at different classes, psychology is a good thing to jump-start that in terms of development of the mind and how the mind works. We do have AP psych here so if students are interested they could always take that”
