ABSTRACT
High school counselors can be critically important members within the school environment and serve as catalysts in the creation of emotionally intelligent schools. Unlike teachers who have specific subject specialties, counselors tend to take an ecological (whole system) view of the school. From this perspective counselors work directly with administrators, teachers, and students from all grade levels and can moderate the relationships among them. If a counselor makes a commitment to work from an emotional intelligence base, all aspects of his or her work become opportunities to influence the emotional dimensions of the school environment. Emotions are the dynamic substance of relationships and interpersonal interactions. In this view, the creation of emotionally intelligent schools is accomplished through the channels of human relationships. Professional counselors, by training, are equipped to understand and facilitate interpersonal interactions. Whether the counselor is in a guidance role with a student’s schedule change, in a consultation role with a concerned teacher, or in a clinical role during a crisis in-
tervention, there is an opportunity to facilitate emotional learning and awareness. For such efforts to be effective, the counselor must first understand the terrain of each school’s unique environment and how the needs of the developing adolescent interact with the environment.
