Catholic schools counselors celebrate ministry during National School Counselors Week
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Catholic News Agency
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San Antonio, TX ā The week of Feb. 6-10 commemoratesĀ National School Counselors Week, and counselors from Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio celebrate their important ministry.
āWe currently have 41 employed counselors serving our schoolsā24 full-time and 17 part-time counselors,ā said Veronica Ball, director of guidance and counseling services for the department of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
The week-long celebration is sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, whose mission is to āhelp students focus on academic, career and social/emotional developmentā¦ā according to the organizationās website.
All 41 counselors in Catholic schools are masterās degree professionals with a background in mental health, said Ball. Many of the schools counselors have earned credentials including Certified School Counselors, Licenses Professional Counselors, License Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Master Social Workers.
Through established partnerships with St. Maryās University and Texas A&M University, Ballās office hosts seven counseling interns which serve on-site at schools as they complete their degree requirements. In previous semesters, counseling interns from the University of Texas at San Antonio and Our Lady of the Lake University have participated in the internship program.
Catholic school counselors provide an āinvaluable ministryā to schools because they support not only a childās academic, social, emotional and behavioral development, but they also support a childās healthy spiritual development.
āIt is the focus on all aspects of healthy development that is critical to supporting the success of our youth in Catholic schools,ā said Ball.
Catholic school counselors have the advantage of helping students approach a situation through the lens of the Catholic faith.
āWe are blessed to have such a dynamic group of mental health professionals serving the Catholic school community,ā said Ball.
For more information about the Department of Catholic Schoolās Counseling and Guidance Services, visitĀ archsa.org/schools/counseling.