An Interview with Christine Estrada, 2018 FSCA School Counselor of the Year Finalist
By: Olivia I. Gordon, 2018-2019 Emerging Leader
Since you first started working as a school counselor, how have you evolved personally in your role?
Throughout my 18 years as a school counselor, everything I do in my role now is so different from what I did in the beginning. I am more of an advocate for my program and most importantly for my students. I am comfortable saying no to requests that aren’t a part of my role and advocating for things that I need to help my students. I also am actively developing my professional identity and skills through joining my professional organizations and going to ASCA Conferences. I have evolved personally in being more intentional in my role both for myself and my students.
How has your role as a school counselor changed since you first started?
When I first started 18 years ago, I was definitely doing more paperwork than anything else. The school counseling role was definitely involved for triage, only seeing students when everything had gone wrong. It was really all paperwork, changing schedules, and attending to crises. Now, especially after going through the RAMP process, the role is more preventative – going into classrooms more and doing more school-wide programming.
Now that you have attained RAMP, what are your goals for your school counseling program?
Now that my program has attained RAMP, my goal is to be more preventative and help provide services to students before crisis. I really would like to transition our program in helping students attain their goals through classroom guidance lessons. I would also like to advocate for having more school counselors. When I applied for RAMP, I obtained it with seven hundred students with only myself. We really need more school counselors and with this distinction, I hope to continue to advocate to meet the ASCA ratio.
What encouragement can you offer to school counselors thinking about pursuing RAMP?
The RAMP process is definitely a demanding and difficult process. The process is a minimum of eighteen months and requires a lot of attention. It does, however, force you to completely re-analyze everything and anything you have ever done as a school counselor. My advice is for any school counselor is to create a team to help you through the process. Identify people in your school and your district who have skill sets and strengths that can support you through the process. I couldn’t have done this by myself. There were aspects of the application process that I wasn’t confident in, but I knew there was someone on my team that could help me through it. That is my biggest piece of advice. Also, enjoy the process, focus on your impact, collect your data, and purchase the “ASCA National Model Implementation Guide: Foundation, Management and Accountability” book!!
What advice would you offer to new school counselors?
To new school counselors, I advise you to find a buddy or a mentor! You do not want to do this in isolation, it can be very stressful, and you need others for support. For those who are interning, your supervisor is your first mentor, make connections with them. Also, join your professional organizations. This is something I did not do until later in my career, but I definitely wish I would I would have done it sooner. Become a part of ASCA and FSCA, go to the conferences, and learn! There is so much useful information and resources that you will need. Stock up on ASCA books and remember not to do it alone!
How can school counselors advocate their role in their schools and district?
To advocate, you have to be a part of your organizations! Your location school counselor association (mine is DSCA), FSCA, and ASCA. This connects you with other counselors and allows you to work towards larger collective goals. At the school level, it is really important to make sure that school administrators value your program. I do this by using my counseling skills. Show the school what you do and be visible throughout the entire school. Learn how to say no to things outside your role and be prepared to show them why your time is needed elsewhere. Also, I have also learned how to use social media to build visibility and it a great tool when used correctly. I use social media to show parents and the school community what the counseling program is doing here.
What excites you about school counseling today?
What excites me is seeing the growth in my students. Although it sounds strange, I love when kids don’t come to see me anymore because they don’t need me. That to me means that I have done my job. I have students who come into my office with serious needs, and to see them a month or two months later in the hall because they don’t need to be in my office every day, that brings me joy. It makes me feel better that students find themselves in a better place because of the role I play.
Christine Estrada is the 2018 FSCA School Counselor of the Year Finalist. The purpose of this award is to recognize a professional school counselor who has demonstrated evidence of implementing a comprehensive data-driven school counseling program and has further developed a program that supports students’ academic, social-emotional, and career development. The FSCA School Counselor of the Year must demonstrate leadership and collaboration in their work with colleagues to promote equity and access to opportunities and rigorous educational experiences for all students to maximize student achievement within the past five years.
Christine Estrada is a professional school counselor at Henry H. Filer Middle School in Miami Dade County. Christine was an essential piece in leading the achievement of RAMP Certification for her middle school. She has started and oversees many programs at her school, such as Sandy Hook Start with Hello Week, Red Ribbon week and a peer mentor group. Ms. Estrada even created a Relaxation Station for students to come during their lunchtime and engage in activities ranging from coloring, reading, to mindfulness exercises. Congratulations to Stephanie Estrada the 2018 FSCA School Counselor of the Year Finalist.
