Schoolwork and other stressful responsibilities from demanding extracurriculars, family drama and outside jobs, are no strangers to teenage students, as they often have to juggle both. It is difficult to manage stress, both emotional and academic. Therefore, Bonita Vista High (BVH) should provide resources to facilitate students’ management of emotional and academic burden, known as guidance counselors. 

Guidance counselors, also known as school counselors, are professionally trained adults who support students with school and their future, according to the American School Counselor Association. Furthermore, according to “School Counselors Matter”, only one in five high school students in the United States are provided with a sufficient number of counseling services, leaving 11 million students unable to access a guidance counselor. 

The lack of access to a guidance counselor may result in students experiencing emotional distress due to the inability to talk to friends or family. Counselors are qualified and able to provide professional advice or an alternative perspective regarding high school troubles to students. According to Alliant International University, guidance counselors can typically deal with forms of bullying, such as cyberbullying, which is a common issue within high school. In 11 studies done by Cyberbullying Research Center, 27% of the teens have been cyberbullied at some point in their lives. 

High school students face various external conflicts, aside from bullying. Guidance counselors can be the trusted adult that teens can confide in. Although students are not forced to talk to a counselor, it may be beneficial for them to have an opportunity to express their honest thoughts to someone during school and be able to talk about their emotional distress in a private area. 

School counselors, who can work with individuals or in groups, help students “develop positive feelings about work and family and build positive mentalities towards themselves and others,” according to Benefits of School Counseling Services. The website highlights how effective and beneficial counseling services are when provided at Spanish Fort Middle School. As a result, students’ emotional state can be improved. 

Moreover, high school students may feel uncomfortable talking to a parent or friend, due to a close familiar relationship and the fear of burdening them with emotional stress. With a professional counselor on campus, students may feel more at ease when they make that choice to take a trip to the counselor’s office. When communicating with the guidance counselor, students will know that their raw thoughts and feelings are kept confidential, for the most part, making them feel more comfortable opening up in that safe space.

The reinforcement of positive encouragement and emotional support promotes student motivation and subsequently, success in academics. While students know they have access to a school counselor to talk about emotional distress, they can focus on their grades and school without worrying about the weight of their emotional burden. 

Furthermore, counselors can guide students through developing organizational skills and even set academic goals, according to “School Counseling”. With the emotional support that counselors provide, they also provide academic expectations.

Although there are many benefits to having school counselors on campus, there are several challenges to integrating them to the school effectively. It is necessary to find counselors that are certified. Without a professional and approachable counselor, students would not willingly talk to them and their office would be unused. 

In addition, the use of counselors’ time may be divided by requests from administrators and other responsibilities. According to “How school counselors make a world of difference,” administration may use counselors’ allocated time for students to do other responsibilities, such as lunch duty. If administrators take away time from counselors, then students won’t have the opportunity to take advantage.

Despite acknowledging the obstacles that come with bringing guidance counselors into BVH, BVH should recognize the importance and push forward regardless. It’s time to incorporate a guidance counselor onto BVH’s campus, as they are instrumental in promoting an emotionally safe and accepting environment for students. The BVH administration should use their resources and make an effort to find a guidance counselor that fits for BVH students so they wouldn’t bear the brunt of lack thereof.