Counseling*

Students struggle with the “sink or swim” mentality of navigating the various stages of the community college system. A reorganization of the role of counselors can help to support student success in each Guided Pathways pillar. Counselors are the first faculty to have contact with students, helping students select the appropriate path to facilitate achieving academic and career goals.

Silos tend to form in each system in the college and counseling is no exception. To combat silos, colleges need to integrate support systems for students, and as nodes in the student experience, counselors are uniquely qualified to help all faculty collaborate and align with student service resources, concerns, and objectives. Bridging the gaps between counseling services and academic programs becomes paramount.

Through intrusive wraparound services, counselors can increase their impact in supporting student’s educational experience. In Guided Pathways colleges, counselors work as part of a team to provide more proactive services to students, meeting them where they are and connecting them with academic, financial, emotional, and social resources available at the college.

*The information in this section was gathered through research and interviews with college faculty, staff, and administrators at California Community Colleges conducted between February 2019-February 2020. For further inquiry, refer to the resource list at the end of each section.