Name Change for the BHS Guidance Department

This is week is National School Counselors week. The counselors at BHS feel this is a great time to share this information. The Burlington High School Guidance Department will rebrand the department name to the Burlington High School Counseling Department.

For quite some time the Massachusetts Association of School Counselors Association (MASCA) and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) have been advocating for a change in title nationwide to more accurately and holistically represent the role that our counselors have served for many years. This change in job title was recently implemented by DESE as well. Counselors are vastly more than college and career coaches.  Traditionally, counselors set schedules, ensured graduation requirements were met and helped students to pursue post-secondary plans. Over time, these primary responsibilities remained, while encompassing a whole child/whole student approach to supporting our young people. Students speak with their counselors about their own health and wellness, their social lives and home lives, areas of challenge and growth, as well as their passions and strengths.  They gain access to resources and enrichment opportunities, and connect with the community through service initiatives and extracurricular activities. When in crisis, their counselors meet with them, ensure their safety and get them connected to the appropriate level of care, be it the school nurse, a social worker, a mobile crisis unit, or even emergency services if necessary. Counselors spend more time collaborating with families to surround students with caring adults who are aligned in purpose and working as a team.  For all of these reasons, licensure and professional language at the national and state levels have been changed from the outdated Guidance Counselor title to the more all-encompassing, School Counselor. You will begin to see us use this language in our emails and around the offices. The school Counseling Department members at Burlington High School support and embrace this change and ask you to join with us as we adjust to the new title, which more appropriately captures the many roles that play day-to-day.