When Theory Collides with Practice: One Day in the Life of a Middle School Counselor

Abstract

Viktor Frankl (1984) stated, “One of the main features of human existence is the capacity to rise above such conditions, to grow beyond them. Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible and of changing himself for the better if necessary” (p. 133). Effective counselors do this daily, rising above conditions, seizing opportunities to change the world of the youth with whom they work, and, in so doing, changing themselves. One counselor records her day as it happened, illus-trating the roles and personal qualities that often are overlooked by counselor educators and researchers but are common to many school counselors. The names have been changed to protect confidentiality.