hang with me~ || redecorating a school counseling office 

Thanks for the video ideas!! I'm definitely planning some more SC videos! Thanks again and thanks for watching :)

karoldaniella congratulations!!! It’s such a rewarding career! Let me know if you have any questions going into your program! Your advisers and cohort will be great resources as well :) you’re not alone going into all of this!

lindsey cundiff yes!! a look book for educators is coming soon!!

Thank you so much for watching! Really appreciate this comment. Hope you're having a great start to the new year!!

Aww yay! I'm so glad!! Let me know if you have any additional questions about the career! I'm always happy to share more insight!

aww I’m so happy you caught that comment and I love that you resonate with it too!! I started off wanting to do HS, but the elementary kiddos caught my heart! Hahaa

I’m so happy you’re happy! Let me know if you have any questions. Always here to answer them if you need :)) best of luck with your program! I’m rooting for you!!

Yes! School counselors are integral to the socio-emotional development of the kids they support! You are a valuable to the family and whole school system! Let me know if you have any questions about the application process or the career in general!! :)

What did you get your bachelors in? Currently figuring that out for myself

@@amysmith1149 psychology

P Becerra I graduated with a BS in community and regional development (sociology) from UC Davis!

Aww thanks Jon!! Next one is coming soon..just need the time to film it -.-;

Aww thanks for the comment!! Let me know if you have any questions about the career!

Hi! Thank you so much for watching :) To answer your questions: 1. I initially thought I would go into high school counseling but in grad school, I did a year long internship at an elementary school and fell in love with the environment. I feel like elementary counseling has a bigger focus on providing therapeutic services, rather than academic support. I do individual and group counseling and whole class lessons. I don’t think I would be able to provide those services in a high school setting. Maybe in a middle school. I felt like I could be more preventative and build a child’s toolkit for success at the elementary level. The environment felt more positive and validating than high school. 2. Social work and counseling have different background experiences. Social work might not have a great emphasis on providing therapeutic services in comparison to counseling. I’m not sure what a social work program entails since I never looked into it but from the work I see social workers providing, they definitely come from a different background and training than a school counselor. 3. I call my lessons, “Building Character with Miss Wai.” I use the second step curriculum and build my own lessons focused on socio-emotional learning! Hope this helps! Will be posting another video related to school counseling soon :)

Aww thank you so much for watching and supporting!!

Hi! Thanks for reaching out and sharing that with me. It was very courageous of you and I appreciate it :) I don’t think you necessarily need an “expanded” vocabulary. You don’t need to be perfectly articulate all the time. I make mistakes and say things incorrectly too! I think what matters most is how you seek to connect with your students/clients. I also think your experiences could be something you could use to notice a need and advocate for a better version of yourself, your students, and your work climate.

Also! Congrats on graduating with a BA in sociology!!! That's amazing! Was it a writing intensive major? You were able to convey your thoughts and feelings well to me!

I appreciate your encouragement! I need it as much as possible right now! I am actually applying right now and looking for recommendation letters. I am working at a daycare and I feel I work best with children one on one. Do you have an email address Incase I have any questions ?

Heyjudywai@gmail.com reach out any time :))

(I hit enter and didn't finish my full comment LOL so I'll finish it here) But anyways I'm glad you were able to have that conversation and figure out what was best for you! Thanks for all of the information you've laid out in the video!

​@@daphne2185 Aww thank you!! So happy you're finding this video helpful. It's such a coincidence that you're debating between nursing and school counseling! Both are helping careers that allow you to be relational and compassionate. I'm sure you have a big heart! Should you have any questions in the future, let me know!! :)

Hi! I'm getting my master's in school counseling right now and I just stumbled upon your comment and wanted to respond because while I was working on my undergrad in psych I was SO confused over what to do next. I was interested in school counseling but wasn't really sure what it would entail. So if you can, something I wish I would have done is reach out to school counselors in the area and see if you can come observe them even if it's just for a day to get a better feel for it. You'll most likely need clearances if you don't have them already to go into the school, but it's worth it. This is one of the first things we did in my school counseling class when I started my master's and I wish I would have done it sooner. Plus it doesn't hurt to make some connections early on. Hope this helps, good luck with everything!!

Kate Dzikowski yes I agree! Reaching out to current counselors/psychologists is a great idea! I shadowed a few at all levels to ask questions and get a glimpse into their daily life. Good luck with the rest of your program :))

Shine Lingenbrink aww yay!! Let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy your practicum experience!!

Thank you!!! It’s always nice to hear from another counselor :)) hope you can find time to relax during this school year! We’re in the home stretch!!

1) Jobs depend on the school district and how open and willing you are to relocate. I completed my masters in San Diego, and interviewed in LA, OC, SF, and San Jose. I applied to cities all over CA (Sacramento-San Diego). Some peers in my cohort had a difficult time finding a full time school counseling jobs. I'd recommend looking on edjoin.org to get a better idea of which districts are hiring! 2) I’m only speaking for my experience as an elementary school counselor but some cons are that you will split your time with another school (or multiple). I’m lucky to be full time at ONE school site but most elementary schools counselors split their time between 2+ schools. Other downsides are people don’t know what you do and assume that you are a family therapist, psychologist, doctor, or something outside of your scope of practice. 3) I liked the opportunity to know all students and support all teachers. You have more flexibility in how you want to make your schedule. You get to teach lessons, run groups, and have time to get to know the students/families at your school. I like being well known at my school and I like working closely with my principal/admin. 4) the program was not difficult..mostly time consuming. I think a career that is relational and focused on creating relationships with others and honing soft skills is rewarding and more fun than “challenging.” The main challenges were completing the GRE and CBEST, or writing long academic papers and thesis statements. 5) you can look up salaries on salary.com and see the average! You can also look up salary schedules for the specific school district you are interested in! Counselors are oftentimes paid for extra work days compared to teachers. You also might get extra pay for your masters and having more units. Hope this helps!

Judy Wai Thank you so much this was really helpful! I love your videos 😊💗

Aww thank you SO much! Let me know if you have any other questions! Would love to help!

@@heyjudywai Will do!!! Thank You

Aww thank you so much for watching!! Good luck with your spring semester! Let me know if you have any questions going into your semester!! You got this! :)

Omg you’re too sweet!! Thank you so much!!!

Congratulations!! And aww yay!!! I’m happy! You’ll have so much fun in your program!

Judy Wai everyone keeps telling me it will be so hard, but all my classes look very fun and interesting! At least i will be happy and working hard 🥰

MarvelAgentDaisy awww I hope you can refer to this video in the future! 💕💕

Yay I’m glad it helped!!

Oh!! Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions about the application process! I considered Fresno and know some people who applied there!

heyjudywai oh really? That’s pretty cool. I have a question...how did you structure your state of purpose letter ? Really want to nail this one.

thomas oh dear sorry about the late reply..have you started submitted it already? My applications all had their own respective questions to answer so it was structured for me. They all asked about my background and motivations to apply to become a school counselor. Does your application have specific questions to answer or is it a free form essay?

Judy Wai yes it sorta the same as you explained it right now. I think I should be fine with what I wrote with. I really hope I get in. I’m leaning towards elementary school Couseling since I already mentor elementary kids for Fresno Unified. It’s just a joy helping these kids out. Big believer in influencing them while they are young.

@@CaloNord congrats on turning it in!! :) hope to hear more about your journey!!

Be present! Send an introductory email to all staff with a photo of yourself, go outside during recess time, ask if you can push into every classroom for 5min to briefly introduce yourself to students, set up a morning coffee chat to introduce yourself to families, join in staff meetings, and be patient with yourself! It’s a process to start at a new school but the first 1-2 months will be spent building rapport :)

Aww yay! I’m glad my video sparked your interest! Yes, I think having a major in education would be helpful. Any work or class experience related to working with kids in educational settings would be good. Your masters program and graduate internships will provide you with more insight and knowledge for the career. You got this!!

I think grad schools will see your major and look at the classes you’ve taken. Working at a daycare will give you experience with working with children but I also suggest looking into internships where you work with youth in a school setting or mentorships with youth! I also suggest reaching out to school counselors around your area and asking if you can ask them questions to gain more information about the career! While interviewing, I found that most people did not have direct experience working in a school (that’s what grad school internships were for) but they have worked with kids in some capacity and that work experience motivated them to pursue counseling! Hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions. I’m happy to answer them!

Paigelyn McElveen hi! I attended USD in person. I did not do an online program but it seems like it could be a great, flexible, and cheaper option!

Hahaha I love my job and it’s been 5years!

G C hi!! So happy to hear from another counselor! Hope you are well and adjusted to distance learning..summer is almost here if it isn’t already for you! Be well and stay safe! :)

Hi! Thanks for asking! I did not take the CPCE exam. I completed a research project instead. I thought this would be best because we had all of our second year to prepare and I could complete my research at my fieldwork site. Here's a link to my research project (It's at the bottom of the page, titled, "Addressing Barriers to Learning") : sites.google.com/view/heymisswai/about-me/projects?authuser=0 let me know if you have any additional questions about it! Your professors will introduce the project and prepare you for it. It is not as scary or overwhelming as you think and personally, it was great to complete my own research project and talk about it in job interviews!

Judy Wai thank u so much

I majored in Community and Regional Development..not particularly focused on counseling but I think my work and some class experiences in sociology, humanities, and communications helped. I actually did not take too many psych courses but I learned most through my work experiences. (mentoring, teaching, community service). I don't think you need to specifically major in counseling or humanities or psychology to be a school counselor! You will learn more skills and approaches in the grad program but I think any work experiences related to helping/mentoring/teaching help!

Jorge Saldivar hi!! Congratulations on your acceptance!! I recommend looking through the student alumni and ambassador pages to gain more insight! Do you have any specific questions, fears, or concerns about the program? I thoroughly enjoyed my time at USD and the friendships/networks I’ve made there!

Hi! Thank you so much for watching!! Both counseling and school psych are great careers. The main differences are in salary and job description. School psychs typically get paid more. Their job focuses on assessing/testing students. School psychs oftentimes move schools. They are hired by the district and placed at multiple school sites to test students. From my experiences with school psychs, they oftentimes feel disconnected from a school site because they are traveling to multiple schools throughout the week. They are working professionals and have a solid understanding of student needs! They are oftentimes the main advocate for a student during a IEP/SST.

Both school psychs and elem. counselors tend to be split between schools. I count myself as extremely lucky to have found a district where I am placed at only one school site and will be that school's counselor! It helps to maintain rapport with students, families, and staff. Counselors work very closely with the principal. My principal oftentimes says that I am her right hand and her #1 partner in crime! As a counselor, I provide individual, group, and whole class lessons. School psychs do not teach lessons. If they are lucky and have the time away from assessments, they may provide individual and group counseling sessions. I feel as the counselor, I get to be more fully integrated in a school site. Even when I was split between multiple schools, I still felt as if I had more time to meet all students and work collaboratively with my staff.

Again, both are great professions. Both careers work with children and child development. I think counselors are able to develop deeper relationships with more families, staff, and students. School psychs are well-versed in child needs and similarly to a school counselor, can be an advocate for educating staff on what a student needs and putting systems in place to support that student. Hope this provides some insight! Let me know if you have more questions :) I may be biased towards a counseling career :P but again, both are great professions and both careers are integral to the success of a school system!!

Oh wow!! Nice! I attended the University of San Diego for grad school! UC Davis for undergrad. Where are you going? Congrats on getting into grad school!!

Judy Wai National university for undergrad just about done & I want to apply to Alliant International University(if you heard of it ) for grad school they have. Campus here in SD

@@marharris8627 Very nice!! Congrats on almost graduating!! You're super close!

Rina Yamada I traveled to Japan and visited schools and counseling centers two years ago in Tokyo! I’m not sure what the specific requirements are for international students but I do believe that you will go through a similar application process as listed on the school website. I think the differences and difficulties might be in cultural differences and approaches but as with everything, I’m sure you can make it work! A school counseling program works hard to help their candidates understand their implicit biases, become aware of their strengths as a counselor, and provide the appropriate training to become an effective counselor. Did you have any specific questions about the career? I unfortunately can’t speak for what an international experience might feel like but let me know if you have any general questions about being a school counselor in California!! 💕

Rina Yamada ALSO! My video about interviewing for a school counseling program might be helpful in explaining the interview process and how to apply :)

Rina Yamada I do also know that school counseling in California is VERY different from counseling in Japan. I think the school counseling career that exists in CA does not exist in Japan...I think school counselors in Japan need training and experience as a psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, or nurse. I’m not sure that Japan has a specific school counseling career that is similar to CA (or the US). Hope this helps!

Hi! Thanks for asking. I graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Community Development (similar to Sociology) and I have a MA in counseling (school counseling specialization and PPSC). Let me know if you have any additional questions! :)

@@heyjudywai Thank you for the reply. Did you have to take a state test after you completed the Master's program? Also, where did you go for the Master's degree? I stay in California as well. Thanks.

@@LoveBirds-zp5gw I completed a master's thesis (research project) instead of taking the state test. I had an option to test or complete a research project, and I opted for the research project. I went to the University of San Diego!

@@heyjudywai That's great! Do you feel that it was a lot easier to do that instead of the test?

@@LoveBirds-zp5gw I'm not sure what the test would have looked like..The research project felt more appropriate to do. I received a lot of support throughout my second year to complete my research project. I wanted to do it because I could use it as evidence of my work as a counselor in the future. It was a good thing to do for my personal and professional development! It was not as stressful as I thought it would be!

kissuuuu~~