Middle school is an exciting but frustrating time for students in addition to their parents and teachers. Transition is the key word. Through middle school years, physical and psychological changes abound. During their journey from childhood to adolescence, students are characterized by:

• Being very active, yet easily fatigued due to rapid physical growth.
• Searching for their own unique identity, turning more toward their peers rather than to their parents for ideas and affirmation.
• Extremely sensitive to comments from others.
• Relying heavily on friends to provide comfort, understanding and approval.

A Comprehensive and Developmental Program
Internal changes, coupled with the challenges of the outside world, reinforce the goal of middle school counselors: to teach students skills to help them through this difficult stage of life and to use these skills on a daily basis. To accomplish this, middle school counselors provide and carry out a comprehensive counseling program focusing on the uniqueness of students in three areas of development: academic, career and personal/social. Designed for all students, student competencies provide goals that are integrated throughout the entire school curriculum and environment. These goals are the engine that drives the program components including the guidance curriculum, individual planning, counseling and program management.

Middle School Counselors Work With Many People in a Variety of Ways
Keeping the developmental program goals in mind, middle school counselors work with students in groups and individually, depending on the nature of the problem, issue or topic. They provide transition activities between elementary and middle school and middle and high school. Middle school counselors support advisory programs by participating in the development and implementation of activities and offering in-services to teachers and administrators.

Working with teachers and administrators, middle school counselors participate as members of school improvement and interdisciplinary teams. They serve as consultants to teachers and parents by providing information regarding meeting student academic and emotional needs. Working together, teachers, administrators and middle school counselors build a program based on characteristics of middle school students, the connectedness of school and home life and the importance of peer and adult relationships.

In the community, the school counselor serves as a coordinator and manager of indirect services that assist students. They are a liaison between school educational agencies and social services, and they collaborate with business and industry to provide meaningful career exploration opportunities for all students.

Parent partnerships are equally important to the success of a middle school counseling program. Parents serve on advisory committees, help evaluate the current program and give input for changes within the program. Finally, middle school counselors assist parents in looking at the whole child, including educational, career and personal/social perspectives.

The middle school counselor also works extensively with the administration. Through collaboration, they can develop a student-centered environment emphasizing developmental guidance, which creates a climate that enhances self-esteem, student growth and academic achievement.

Why Middle School Counselors
Middle school years can be positive ones of self-discovery for children. Together, professional middle school counselors, parents, teachers, administrators and community members can help students focus on the journey of transition through a collaborative effort using a comprehensive developmental counseling program, patience, understanding and above all, caring.