David McCord

As a counselor, it is our job to help every client that walks through our door. We must help all clients no matter who they are, irregardless of their race, gender, religion, age, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, etc. This is not just a job requirement for me, laid out by ACA, but a part of who I am, and my desire to be accepting of others. Unfortunately, there are some who would like to be in the counseling profession, but do not want to help certain groups of people, based on their personal religious views. I am speaking of the recent court ruling by a federal judge involving a Christian student and Eastern Michigan University.

One of the most common questions that I get when I tell people what I do is…..what do you do? It’s not a surprising question. Most of us had a “Guidance Counselor” when we were in middle and high school, but the elementary counselor is still somewhat a new concept. So people are often curious as to what my job is like. The classroom guidance part of my job is the thing that seems to get the most interest, and the thing that I felt the least prepared to do after graduation.

As a school counselor I have a lot of “friends” at school. Of course the word friend refers to those students who spend a lot of time with me. Throughout the past five years as a school counselor I have had a lot of friends. Some of them I have seen grow and develop and begin to make positive changes in their young lives. However, I have also had friends who show very little positive growth and development. Strangely, these are the kids that I have spent the most time with. So, what am I doing wrong or what do I need to do differently to reach them?

I have never been in a physical fight with someone (okay, except my older brothers growing up, but they started it!) It has always been my feeling and practice to avoid a physical fight. My parents growing up taught and showed me that getting into a fight with someone was not acceptable, except when defending yourself. Is that clear, defending yourself? Oh well, fortunately I never had to defend myself, except from name calling, and hey... sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, right?

Is the glass half full or half empty?  I would describe myself as a glass half full kind of person.  I am always looking for what is right, what is working, and what I feel good about.  Even in the most stressful or tough situations, I am trying to think of a positive outcome.   My partner once jokingly told me that if I was on a plane and the captain told everyone that the plane was going down, I would probably find something positive to say.  So what is it that makes some of us see the positive while others meet life’s challenges with a negative perspective?  Can someone change from a glass half full to the glass is half empty?  Is one better than the other?