ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Back to School is in full swing, kids are heading back to class, and teachers will lead lessons on reading, writing and arithmetic. But increasingly, school counselors are absent, especially here in Michigan.
The American School Counselor Association says Michigan has one of the worst student-counselor ratios in America, and their absence is being felt in the school building and beyond.
Dr. Jason Vannest is a Licensed Professional Counselor and registered play therapist based in Rochester Hills. But before starting his psychotherapy practice he was a science teacher and school counselor.
"For a number of years before I had a family, I was working as a school counselor during the day, working at the clinic in the evening," Vannest said.
Vannest says while he loved being a school counselor, the number of students he and others had to serve made it almost impossible to provide the services students deserve.
"What type of service can that school counselor provide when they have 800 kids that they're trying to monitor and keep an eye on?," Vannest said.
It was enough to drive him from the profession.
"And every day there were instances I was failing my community during due to those caseload levels," Vannest said.
School counselors provide academic, social and emotional support for students facing challenges at home, with school work and with peers. To provide adequate services the American School Counselor Association suggested a student counselor ratio of 250 students per counselor, but according to their most recent assessment, Michigan counselors had an average student load of nearly 600. The second worst in the country.
"Our school counselors show up at school. We've got, you know, 15 messages from parents who all have urgent things that they want to address because it involves their children," Vannest said.
They’re left to triage which cases need immediate attention and which kids will have to wait
"To meet with us about college preparation, about course failure, about severe mental health issues. And every day, the school counselors are failing to provide those basic levels of support to our children," Vannest said.
"What are the implications?" I followed up with.
"I'm kind of taking a deep sigh here. Because that's the implications are really heavy," Vannest responded.
In Michigan, suicide is the third leading cause of death in teens 10-14 years old from 2018-2022, according to the CDC. and the second leading cause of death for 15-19 year olds.
"They're drowning. They need someone to help them. School counselors, when given an appropriate caseload, they can do that. That's what they're trained to do," Vannest said.
It’s a Michigan-wide issue and the Michigan Department of Education is aware. In a statement to 7 News Detroit, MDE has acknowledged the severity of the issue, stating:
"The counselor shortage is a real issue in Michigan…” Adding “there are not enough qualified school counselors available to meet the desired ratio."
The state has implemented several initiatives to address the crisis, including investing $50 million in mentoring and induction programs for educators, including school counselors, allowing some funds directed towards teachers to be used to obtain school counselor endorsements on a teaching certificate, and streamlining the requirements for becoming a school counselor
Vannest says there are already enough people with the credentials to bring student counselor ratios in line. But recruiting those with the skills to face the overhelming academic, social and emotional needs and to often feel like your failing them may just be too much.
"It's more, despair, hurt and guilt than a lot of people can bear," Vannest said.
Dr. Vannest says until we can fix that problem Michigan students and their families will continue to suffer.
