This is the page for students and former students of Dr. Laurie Bonjo. Bonjo wants to stay in touch with her students and hopefully, they want to stay in touch with one another.
This page is for students and former students of Dr. Laurie Bonjo. If you are one of Bonjo's padawans and you know of a padawan who isn't currently part of the group, please do invite them to join.
Why is school counseling cool to you, Dr. Bonjo?
Well, I decided to become a school counselor because when I looked back on my experiences in public school, I wished there had been someone who had understood my challenges while I was there, and who had the skills to offer me support and encouragement. I love school counseling because it is an ideal fit for me personally—at heart, I am a an advocate, a change agent and a leader. One of the ways these “parts” of me fit into my identity as a school counselor is that I want to improve the ways that people relate to each other. As a school counselor, I have the potential to impact school climate—to make the culture of a school warm, accepting, and supportive of a full range of student diversity. Through advocacy and leadership, I can impact a school culture and create the changes that will support the growth of all students. Another reason I am passionate about school counseling is that I love working with young folk! I am frequently inspired by the resilience of young people—their persistence in the face of adversity gives me faith in our collective future. I really love helping kids who are struggling against a lot of barriers feel empowered to succeed. Strong school counselors have the potential to impact the success of students by incorporating a systems perspective into their approach to addressing student concerns.
So, can you tell me more about the school counseling program at SUNY New Paltz?
The purpose of the NP master’s degree in school counseling is to train school counseling professionals with expert skills in coordinating school counseling programs, supporting the teaching/learning process, counseling with students, and consulting with persons having significant influence on students' well-being and development. Our program provides graduate level study which is based on the comprehensive developmental model of school guidance and counseling created by the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) and which integrates the New York State School Counseling Association Standards. This program prepares K-12 counselors to apply an ecological systems framework to promote the development of skills and experiences needed by all students for success in school and later life. Further, students will learn to develop prevention programs focused on predictable hindrances to development of identifiable groups of students, and will also learn to conduct interventions for remediation of individual concerns, along with learning to intervene with both groups and individuals in crisis situations. Throughout the program, school counseling trainees are required to engage in experiences intended to increase their self-awareness and promote their own personal and professional development. The educational and developmental orientation of the School Counseling Program provides students with unique expertise regarding the academic, personal/social and career development of young people that makes them the appropriate choice for counseling practice in a school setting. Students in the SUNY New Paltz School Counseling Program experience a depth of training and acquire a level of expertise for practice in the school setting that is comparable to that of counselors in other settings.
Here is the link to our program web page: http://www.newpaltz.edu/psychology/graduate/school.html
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have-- contact information below!
What is it that draws you to Mental Health Counseling, Bobby?
This question has always been an interesting one for me and I used to be nervous that my answer would sound like a cliche. As I have learned more about counseling, and more about myself, I have begun to find this question easier to answer. For me personally, I think that it all starts with my interest in people. I am incredibly interested in the stories of others, whether they be happy, melancholy, or downright depressing. Something that has been made quite clear to me is the fact that people show us what they want to show us and there is almost always more going on beneath the surface. I think it is very easy for us to forget that simple truth. With that being said, just scratching the surface bores me and I want to see more than just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Helping others is an important draw of counseling but I wouldn't say it is the main one for me. I want to hear people's stories and I want to to get to know them beyond the surface level. I think that helping people is a byproduct of getting to know them and making them feel understood.
