My career as a Counselor started way back 1997, when my professor in the graduate school invited me to apply as a University Counselor in one of the biggest universities in Manila. At that time, I just wanted to study because I felt bored working as an office employee. I never thought that I would end up working as a School Counselor for 14 years now.
I was motivated to make a blog about my career as a Counselor which I consider my ministry because of the sad and unacceptable reality I experience in my professional practice. I never expect that I have to go through a very tough and tumultuous moments in my counseling life which put me in an extremely difficult situation. I have to educate people for them to understand and appreciate counseling. Sadly, not everyone believed and respected the way it must be practiced.
My employment contract abroad was not renewed where I worked as a Counselor / Teacher. I was doing counseling and teaching at the same time. Needless to say, a counselor cannot enter into a dual relationship whereby he is the counselor and teacher of the students. Why? As a teacher, how can I tell my students to see their Counselor who happens to be me? Being the lone counselor, that really puts me in a big conundrum. Seemingly, not many people know that part of my job is to keep sensitive information of students with utmost confidentiality. At the start of the school year, I was advised by my principal that I can already look for a new job. Reason? Guess what? I know a lot of information about the school and they were afraid that I might divulge it. Honestly, I was not renewed because the school owner was afraid that I might tell others about my counseling sessions with their daughter. Part of my ethical training and practice is to keep confidential information of my counselee unless there is an imminent threat or danger in the life of my counselee and the people involved in his/her issues, thus, that’s the only time I can break confidentiality.
Just the same, I was not offered a new employment contract in the next school where I worked as a Counselor / Teacher again. The school owner wanted me to make a detailed report of my counseling sessions with a student. They were not satisfied with my general report. The top officers of the school individually talked to me and convinced me to come up with a comprehensive report of my counseling sessions with the student. I consulted my mentors and senior colleagues in the profession regarding this. They all said that I have to protect my counselee by all means. Apparently, they do not understand why I can only give as much information necessary. That story was full of drama and intrigue like a telenovela but I don’t want to end up a villain betraying the person who trusted me so much.
Also, I will never forget the time when I joined my students in Singapore for a school immersion; I was excited because I will have a chance to talk with the School Counselors hoping that I would learn a lot from them. Unfortunately, they don’t have even one Counselor considering that they are a huge school with more than 2,000 students. Obviously, they don’t see the need and importance of having School Counselors and to have a guidance and counseling program for their students.
Now, it seems that I am reliving the same experience as I continue my work here abroad. God has brought me back to this place for a noble reason. I put my faith and trust in Him as I continue my ministry in this beautiful country. I know where I stand and I know what I must do. I may be earning better from working abroad but I will never do something that will put me and my counselees in great jeopardy. At the end of the day, people I work with may misunderstood, reject, or terminate me from my job but this will never seize me from doing what is right, proper, and ethical in my practice as a Counselor.
Ultimately, I am accountable to my Great Counselor above, whom I strongly believe has given me this ministry and the gift to touch people’s lives to help them become a person that God wanted them to be.
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