By Chloe Morales | Staff Writer

By Chloe Morales | Staff Writer

   In a time filled with uncertainty, counseling has become more necessary than ever. The Gabrielino High School counselors have done their best to make students feel heard, helped, and cared for. However, there have been various limitations to their abilities since switching to the Virtual Academy. 

   Counselor Monica Hagge stated, “There are many stressors in the virtual world with respect to counseling: lack of physical contact with students, not being able to access students, time constraints in reaching students, the rise in mental health issues, and students not being connected to school due to the difficulty of online learning.”

   On top of the challenges in an online format, the counselors experienced a major shift in responsibilities. In past years, there were five counselors with a set caseload of students. However, this year, Chris Saporito became head of the Wellness Center, a place where students can seek refuge when experiencing anxiety or unrest. In making this move, Saporita had to give up his caseload of students, causing each of the other four counselors to see an increase in the number of students they are responsible for. 

   “Compared to last year when I had around 325 students and it was still busy, I now have around 425 students on my caseload and [now I’m] incredibly busy,” explained Jacqueline Borja, counselor.  

   The increase in students has made it challenging for the counselors to connect and provide personalized care due to sheer numbers and limited time. When meetings are scheduled, interactions tend to be  straightforward and leave little room for connecting on a deeper level.

   “Most online interactions with students are coordinated and can come off as very structured or formal,” counselor Amanda Ly commented. It doesn’t feel like there are very many spontaneous opportunities where students can pop in to say hello or check-in virtually. I miss having students pop into my office in the Student Center.”

   Aside from difficulties regarding students, some counselors have had trouble adapting to the technological aspects of this school year. 

   “I have had to do a lot of Googling and watching Youtube to figure out this new technology and how to use it as a counselor. Google classroom, Zoom, Kami, Nearpod, Peardeck – [there are] so many different applications, ” said counselor Diana Bustamante. She added, “I have worked as a counselor for 17 years but I feel like I’m having to [learn] how to [do] my job all over again.”

    Despite the many challenges, there have been positive aspects as well. The hard work that the counselors put in to help their students definitely makes a difference, especially for the seniors who had to go through the college application process. 

   Borja stated, “Even though the college application process is very stressful for both me and the students, it makes me so happy to help students apply to their colleges and see their happiness when they are accepted.”

  All of the counselors work hard to ensure a safe environment for their students, even if they have to do so remotely. 

   “I miss seeing all of our awesome students in-person,” said counselor Jocelyn Machado. “My greatest joy as a counselor right now is seeing how resilient and hardworking our students have been this past year.”