7 Ways Counselors Can Avoid Burnout This School Year

School counselors play a critical role in school communities. They are often the individuals who help students figure out their hopes for the future and make a plan for those goals to become a reality. They must both encourage students to dream and, at times, provide hard reality checks to ensure that they remain on track to meet their postsecondary plans. Counselors support the social and emotional development of students and must continually monitor changes in students’ behavior and achievement to ensure they receive the support they need as issues arise. 

Counselors are advocates for their students both internally with fellow educators and externally to the broader school community. They engage with teachers to find creative solutions for students who are struggling in a class. They work with industry partners to secure work-based learning opportunities for students to try out a field or build important life skills. School counselors work with families to help solve problems and to engage parents to take steps that are vital to their children’s postsecondary success. And school counselors are often leaders on a staff–providing support and guidance to colleagues throughout the school year. 

In short, a counselor’s workload is immense and can easily take a physical, mental, and emotional toll. Because of this, it is important for counselors to begin the school year with proactive planning to prevent and mitigate causes of burnout. Use these tips to make a thoughtful plan for the coming year that includes regular opportunities for pausing, reflecting, connecting, and recharging. 

Create structures and systems. A counselor’s day is often filled with unexpected shifts or crises that can feel stressful and overwhelming. And, counselors' roles in recent years have grown to include many additional responsibilities without added time or support. Early in the school year, you might pause to reflect on any issues that led to frustration the previous year and consider ways to prevent it from happening again. For instance, counselors are often a go-to to support classrooms, provide guidance, or supervise students when a school is short-staffed–without a reduction in their individual workload. It can be valuable to work with administrators to talk about when you might need to take on additional roles and how that workload will be divided among staff members. Thinking about issues proactively, rather than in crisis mode, leads to greater collaboration and problem-solving. These conversations inform plans, structures, and systems that result in redundancy and resiliency and a more equal distribution of work. 

Connect with a mentor or a peer collaborator. The role of a counselor can, at times, feel isolating. Issues can often arise that require creative responses or new approaches. And, given the importance of a counselor to a students’ long term outcomes, it is not surprising that counselors experience stress or emotional fatigue. It can be productive to find colleagues to help problem solve, share ideas from their experiences, or simply vent frustration in a safe space. These can be counselors in another building or colleagues at your school. Having a trusted colleague who understands the complexity of the role and can offer mutual support and guidance can provide critical support throughout the year. 

Use small breaks to pause and recharge. While there are very few breaks in a counselor’s day, it can be beneficial to consider the best way to utilize the few minutes in between commitments or during your lunch break. Think about what type of activity might best serve your needs–a few minutes outside, taking a quick walk, a quiet moment with some relaxing music, doing some stretches, or a quick check-in with a colleague–and take a few minutes to do it. And, rather than getting locked into a certain routine, change it up as your needs shift. It can be helpful to keep a list of ideas of how to use your break to turn to when feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Even just 5 minutes to pause or connect or change the scenery can have a big impact on one’s mood and overall outlook. 

Ask for help early on. Counselors are often the first to notice troubling trends or see issues that might become problematic–both at the individual and school level. As these trends are observed, it can be helpful to pause to talk with colleagues and administrators early on before issues escalate. This both starts a timeline for documentation and expands the team of support to focus on a particular issue before it reaches a crisis that requires extensive intervention and likely more time and energy from counselors. 

Set boundaries. Because the role of counselor is so strongly linked to student day-to- day lives and long-term outcomes–and often involves responses to crises–it can be incredibly challenging to leave work at school. Creating boundaries and limiting the amount of work done from home is important so that counselors do not become entirely consumed by their work. You might create rules for yourself about when you can check email on weekends or evenings, and consider removing alerts from your cell phone or watch so that you are not connected to school each and every minute. Be sure to regularly evaluate which situations must be responded to with urgency and those that can wait until the next school day. Remind yourself, and others, that it is healthy to have time away from school. When the commitment to self-care and mental health is collaborative, it can be easier to create and maintain boundaries.   

Find ways to share responsibilities and roles with a team. Beyond a counselor’s day-to-day schedule and time with students, they are often responsible for schoolwide planning, events, fairs, and additional support services for students. All too often, several counselors or members of a support team are unnecessarily being pulled into many of these events or roles–duplicating each other’s efforts. Regularly working with your team to determine responsibilities and dividing the workload can save valuable time and energy. This also allows for roles to be better paired with an individual’s strengths and preferences, and prevents the work from feeling overly burdensome for any one person. 

And, finally, set a goal that inspires you. Counselors go into the profession because they are passionate about making a difference in the lives of students. They are excited to help the struggling student graduate on time and find a career option that builds on their strengths. They want to help the high-achieving student who does not have financial resources find grants and scholarships that can make a four year college possible. Unfortunately, when the workload becomes overwhelming or there is too much of a focus on just a few outcomes such graduation rates, and the more personalized student support gets lost, counselors can feel detached from that initial connection to the role. 

In planning for this coming school year, choose a goal or pursuit that is meaningful to you and find ways to work toward that outcome throughout the year. It might be something seemingly simple such as increasing the number of students you check in with during a given week, spending more time in the hallway for informal interactions with students, or working to get more kids involved in clubs or activities to spark their passion. Keep a reminder of this goal on your desk or in your office so it does not get lost as the school year goes on. Establishing this kind of personal goal can help serve as a regular reminder of your why for becoming a school counselor and the impact you have on student lives every day.