Sweety Patel

Sweety Patel is currently the Director of School Counseling Services for Carteret Public Schools, in Carteret, NJ. Prior to this role, Sweety served as a School Counselor for the Jersey City Public Schools for thirteen years.

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Articles by Sweety Patel

• ‘Please give me my space:’ A school counselor’s perspective

  Tuesday, February 16, 2021

  I want you to think back to when you were a student and you walked into your school counselor’s office. What do you remember about his/her office? Do you remember the walls, the furniture, the seating arrangement, the atmosphere? Was there something really unique about the counselor’s space that moved you somehow? Oftentimes when we are learning how to be school counselors, we are very focused on the interaction between the student and us. We do not always think about the surroundings, and a lot of times we feel there is not much time to, either.

• Tackling the fear of financial aid

  Friday, October 25, 2019

  "I’m not going to help with the FAFSA, I will refer the student somewhere else, I am not touching that parent’s tax info." These are common thoughts in many school counseling departments, not out of task avoidance or malice, but simply out of fear. Many school counselors often do not want to get involved with assisting students directly with the FAFSA. They may also think that the family’s income information is not information that the school counselor is privy to. However, financial aid is a facet in the life of high school counselors that comes up all year long.

• School counseling and ethical empowerment

  Thursday, April 25, 2019

  According to the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, school counselors have an essential role as social justice advocates who affirm and support students from diverse populations. They are central to servicing students so that students may move toward self-determination and self-development. Standard A.10 speaks of underserved and at-risk populations, for whom school counselors strive to contribute to a safe, respectful, and nondiscriminatory school environment.

• Engaging students through events: A school counselor’s perspective

  Friday, April 12, 2019

  As educators, we have many external expectations placed on us, which often makes it difficult to pursue projects we are passionate about. In school we get caught up in a routine, and our students can end up doing the same. Routines can be productive, but once they become monotonous, that can be the opposite of what the educational experience should be or could be. A planned (but for the students, unexpected) experience can provide an antidote. Such events are often the most memorable experiences that students have while in school.