S URVEY IN F AMILY V IOLENCE By Yadira Valencia Interviewee: Sylvia Nishi Profession: School counselor

I NTRODUCTION My interview took place at Valley View Elementary school in Toppenish. My interviewee was Sylvia Nishi, whom is in charge of the entire k-5 school. In our interview she asked me questions as well. Her general interest was in what career path I planned to take. In response to her question she understood that I was interested in becoming a school counselor as well.

S ERVICES TO S TUDENTS As a school counselor Sylvia Nishi provides individual and group counseling. This is to address any problems the child may be encountering which is affecting them academically, behaviorally, or physically. She also performs presentations to all students. The general subject matter consists of: Bullying Good touch vs. Bad touch Stranger Danger She usually performs these presentations every fall, and every student k-5 hear the presentation every year. Projects: My interviewee is currently working on the walking club. It consists of students walking a certain amount of miles with their teachers during recess. It addresses obesity in children.

A TYPICAL DAY Her response was that she never has a general routine. Some days become hectic with problems of a serious nature that can involve the police and/or CPS. Other days are generally calm. Everyday her main job is to respond to Interventions. They usually occur when the teacher of the student has already addressed the behavioral, emotional, academic or physical change in the child. The teacher is responsible somewhat in an initial response to the changes in the child, though when it reaches the point where the teacher can advance no further, or the issue is great enough, then the school counselor is involved. She also organizes interviews with parents, teachers, and CPS workers. She mentioned that it is important not to ignore the signs of abuse in a child, that it must always be investigated further until there is proof that a problem is not present. Not only this but also know how to react to clues, and not over reacting in the case that there is no problem present.

L IKES AND D ISLIKES OF THE F IELD Sylvia Nishi is most satisfied working with the children. She says that they are very sweet and loving. Their personalities are more honest, and they interact with her in a caring way. She compares this to her experience as a school counselor to high school and middle school age groups. Her largest dislike is the amount of meetings and interviews she must perform on a daily basis. She constantly has a full and fixed schedule. Her concerns over the children’s welfare also worries her a great deal. Her dislike is the fact that there are children who don’t live in the best conditions for healthy development.

C HANGE AND C AUSE The thing she would like to change is her responsibility over the MSP the new testing system which has taken the place of the WASL. She feels that it does not really lie within the margins of her responsibilities, or what her main concerns should be. In her experience, she has reasoned that the largest contributor to child abuse or violence is poverty. She says that it creates a tense environment which creates a potential for all forms of abuse. In addition to poverty, drugs and alcohol also contributes with child abuse considerably.

E SSENTIALS OF I NTERVENTION AND P REVENTION Intervention: In serious issues where intervention is needed the counselor will organize RTI’s. This is where the teacher comes to the counselor with concerns. The teacher must inform the counselor what action they have taken to address the problem, and report the changes in the child. The teacher and the counselor work as a team and asses the best form of action. They may need an interview with the parent, assemble a behavioral plan, or carry the case further to the CPS or Police if the problem reaches such severities. Prevention: Always keep your eyes open, in other words always check for changes in student’s behavioral patterns. For example, if the student is usually very talkative, suddenly becomes excessively quiet. Then it is necessary to investigate the change which has caused the child's abrupt change in behavior. Teachers as well as the counselor must keep record or track of the child's behavioral problems and changes. This changes may occur in their emotions, physical appearance, academic performance, and interactional patterns around other students and adults.

F OR F UTURE S OCIAL W ORKERS Her advice to me is to learn how to track and identify behavioral problems or changes in a child. Learn to identify the root of a problem in the best way possible, which should always be centralized on the well being of the child. It is important to work as a team with teachers because they share more time with students and know the students better. This will help in identifying which form of action would be the best or most effective for the child.

CONCLUSION In conclusion, I learned that school counselors are responsible for the prevention, and intervention of abuse. They are also responsible for teaching students what kinds of behaviors are negative and which are positive, for example the bullying and good touch bad touch presentations. I also learned that they must have great communication skills because they deal with varying issues with sensitivities. This is also true because they must know how to best communicate with children, teachers, parents, CPS worker, and the police.