A Day In The Life Of A School Counselor With Rhea Parks
Listen to the full episode below:
As school counselors, it seems we never have enough time to do all the things we want to do. Meeting with students, putting on programs and activities, being in meetings, and all the other duties that are put on us spread us so thin. I am so grateful that Rhea Parks is joining us today to share about how she is managing everything on her plate as a second year counselor.
If you are feeling worn out and just tired, Rhea’s zest is sure to leave you feeling inspired and motivated in the second half of this school year! She is sharing her background and her path to being a school counselor, what she loves about school counseling, what she finds frustrating in her position, a look inside her typical week, her ideas for what she wants to do in the future, and her favorite Valentine’s themed counseling activities.
Rhea Parks began as a teacher at 30 years old teaching 4th and 5th grade reading and writing in a Title 1 school. She began to realize that teaching did not prepare her for the emotional support that her students were needing. She is a huge advocate on building relationships but she quickly knew this wasn't enough. Rhea looked into taking counseling classes at a local university just to arm herself with strategies on how to deal with the ever growing emotional and behavioral needs of her current and future students. While in the program, she began to fall in love and realize her purpose. As a new mom, it took Rhea a while to finish the program while she was teaching, and now she is in her second year as a school counselor at the age of 46 at Daniel Boone Elementary in Richmond, KY.
Rhea is a mother of two beautiful girls, age 13 and 10 and a bonus mom to an amazing son, 26. Her husband is a teacher and a head football coach at a high school. She loves watching her children play sports, which is part of my self-care, believe it or not.
Rhea shared how much the IMPACT 2.0 membership has helped her as a super busy new counselor. Are you ready to reduce the time spent planning lessons and activities and spend more time working with students, too? We’d love to see you inside and help you take the stress out of prepping your lessons.
Some topics covered in this episode are:
-
Rhea’s background as a teacher and how she became interested in school counseling
-
2 reasons why teachers make great school counselors
-
What Rhea loves about being a school counselor
-
Things that she finds frustrating in her position
-
The impact having a good relationship with her principal has made on her counseling program
-
How Rhea divides her time throughout the week in order to accomplish all the things put on her plate
-
What she would like to do within her program in the future
-
Rhea’s favorite kindness themed activities
Resources Mentioned:
-
Have a question for Rhea? Email her at rhea.parks@madison.kyschools.us
-
Enroll in the Stress Free School Counseling Course
-
Join the IMPACT 2.0 membership for ongoing support and access to 300+ resources
-
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
Connect with Rachel on Social Media:
More About School Counseling Simplified:
School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.
You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!
SHARE:
