President's Message

I hope everyone has settled into the new school year! It is with the greatest pleasure that I greet you as President of the Connecticut School Counselor Association. 

Energized by the American School Counselor Association’s vision for state governing boards, last year was a year of transformation as CSCA leadership revised the Strategic Plan and the By-Laws for the association. It’s a whole new year and a whole new outlook on what we need to accomplish, and how we need to accomplish it. I hope you will join us on this exciting journey.   

I think one of the most exciting aspects of last year’s transformation was creating new Vice-President positions. In keeping with our vision on equity, we decided that we wanted more representation of members from all across Connecticut. We now have in place what we call “VP Regions.” Each of the regions has at least one VP who will serve to create roundtables, professional development, and social events for school counseling professionals in each of their home regions, based on the needs of that region. For CSCA members, this means more opportunities to gain CEU’s from CSCA, share ideas with others from your region who might have similar issues and interests, and have professional development opportunities geared to your region’s needs;  regardless of where you live in the state. The six regions are as follows: Hartford County, Litchfield County, Fairfield County, New Haven County, Middlesex and New London Counties, Tolland and Windham Counties.  

In addition to these positions, we have also added a VP Counselor Educator. We know that counselor educators must keep informed of current school counselor practice in order to ensure that newly graduating students are well prepared for today’s K-12 students.  

We have many committees as well, that could use some volunteers!! These committees are listed on the website. Feel free to contact me if you would like to help us. I assure you the work is not only satisfying, but at times, actually fun! :) 

There are other exciting developments as well. Starting soon, ASCA will be assisting us in creating a very professional newsletter/magazine that will be mailed to you electronically. It will contain local Connecticut information as well as information on current issues in the country.   

Unfortunately, we are in a profession, where we must constantly make others aware of what we do. Advocacy is key to making sure all stakeholders and policymakers are aware of the role of the school counselor and respect the Connecticut Comprehensive School Counseling Model. It is only through a strong and committed membership base, that we can realize these goals. 

Please join us!   Thank you for all that you do for the children of Connecticut.

Sincerely,

Rachelle Perusse, Ph.D., NCC, NCSC