UWG Counseling Student Defies All Odds in and Outside the Classroom Share this page
Today’s job market is becoming more competitive by the day, which is why it’s important for students to secure internships, solidify mentorships and sharpen their skills outside the classroom. For one University of West Georgia graduate student, all these factors were necessary, but it meant having to venture into something that was completely different from what she set out to do.
Laura Clark didn’t think that the profession of counseling would have its own place on her resume. During her five-year stint as a middle school science teacher, she was hoping that her teaching job would provide her with the opportunity to empower students about the importance of science. Although this was good for a significant period of time, Clark discovered that her science teaching didn’t align with her dream of helping students emotionally.
“I realized that science had to come second to interpersonal skills and emotional regulation,” she said. “It was that realization and my subsequent effort to build safe environments for my students that the school counselors and other teachers encouraged me to consider counseling.”
Soon enough, that piece of advice would change everything. Clark pivoted her life by enrolling at UWG’s master’s program in professional counseling and is now pursuing her passion as the school counseling intern at Factory Shoals Middle School in Douglasville, Georgia. After receiving news of her placement, she had doubts about the school falling outside her preferred search radius. The discomfort of walking into a tight-knit counseling department was a concern, but Clark was able to turn this into growth.
“Getting to know the community of teachers, administrators, staff and students makes me excited for when I find my counseling home after graduation,” she said. “I was nervous to come into an already cohesive counseling department, but they have made my transition a mostly positive one.”
As part of a requirement for her internship, Clark must log 600 hours of hands-on work – spanning from individual and group counseling sessions to direct student-facing services. Among these, she operates in compliance with UWG’s student code of conduct and the ethical standards set by both the American School Counselor Association and the American Psychological Association.
“Ultimately, the main goal is to experience school counseling as it exists for schools in real time and get some practice interacting with that environment,” Clark said.
Now that she’s fully settled into her second semester, Clark’s nervousness has given way to connection — and rightfully so, it has taught her a lot.
“We [school counselors] provide a sense of belonging that helps balance the students’ need to feel in control of their lives and the adults’ expectations of what school should look and sound like,” she stated. “The trust we build through relationships with students, families and the community gives us the credibility to strengthen and expand the role of the counseling profession.”
Once her internship comes to an end, Clark shows no signs of slowing down. She plans to pursue licensure as an associate professional counselor, with hopes of becoming a licensed professional counselor someday – a credential that will open doors to clinical work beyond the school setting.
“I want to be able to grow into a counselor who empowers students to find their voices and allows them to feel seen and heard in ways that illustrate how successful they have already been,” Clark said.
For anyone who is standing at a crossroads, wondering if a passion that they want to chase is too “risky,” Clark advises to “lean into self-reflection.”
“Our faults, biases and prejudices don’t just disappear because we want to help others,” she said. “Counseling requires us to hold space for people whose experiences and perspectives may differ greatly from our own, but self-reflection allows us to help without making it about us.”