As the only counselor at Ánimo Charter Westside Middle School, Mariela Vidaurrazaga (MA ’07) is unable to meet individually with every student. “My focus tends to be on the ones who are in crisis, as well as making sure that our eighth-grade students are on track to graduate,” Vidaurrazaga explains. “But adolescence can be a challenging time, and I know there are other students who could benefit from extra support.”
Vidaurrazaga’s experience is not unlike that of most school counselors. But this year, Ánimo Westside was able to offer a new resource to 10 sixth- and seventh-graders — seven weeks of one-on-one counseling provided by students in the LMU School of Education Counseling Program through SUCCESS Coaching, a research-based intervention founded and led by Sheri Atwater, professor and director of the LMU SOE Counseling Program. The enrichment program is now offered through partnerships at three schools: Ánimo Charter Westside Middle School, St. Anastasia Catholic School and WISH Charter Elementary School. A fourth school is expected to be added this fall.
At Ánimo Westside, 10 SOE counseling students were each assigned a sixth-grade student and provided seven weekly 45-minute sessions of individualized counseling — referred to as SUCCESS coaching — as part of Ánimo Westside’s after-school program. They were supervised by Vidaurrazaga, who in addition to her position as Ánimo Westside’s school counselor serves as a part-time faculty member at SOE, where she obtained her counseling degree and PPS credential.
Vidaurrazaga explains that unlike traditional school counseling, SUCCESS is a short-term, structured intervention. The SUCCESS coaches employ a tool called “life mapping,” in which students are guided through an assessment of their lives both in and out of school as a way to identify target areas. Working with the coaches, the students set realistic goals and strategies for obtaining them.
“Because this is structured and intentional, as opposed to the students simply going in and talking about whatever is on their mind, there’s a level of accountability that contributes to making this model very effective,” Vidaurrazaga says.
The Ánimo Westside students aren’t the only ones benefiting from SUCCESS. It’s also an opportunity for SOE counseling students to gain hands-on experience before they begin their field internship. The counseling students videotape their sessions and share them with Vidaurrazaga and their peers to obtain feedback as part of the program’s debriefing process.
“Having the same client for seven weeks gives the counseling students continuity and the opportunity to make a connection,” Vidaurrazaga says. “Through a pre- and post-assessment, they are able to see the fruits of their labor — that their intervention made a difference.”
