Student Support Q&A: District Resource Counsellors
District Resource Counsellor Casey Chaulk
The district’s Student Support staff play a significant role in the lives of many of our students and their success both in school and in life.
To recognize their important work and provide a greater understanding, the district is diving deeper into their roles and responsibilities and highlighting the positive impact they have on students and families every day. Today, we’re showcasing Casey Chaulk, who shares her challenging but rewarding work as a district resource counsellor (DRC).
Please explain what you do in your role as a District Resource Counsellor.
DRCs perform many different functions -- we work with administrators, students, families and community organizations to support vulnerable students and ensure our schools are safe. We work on violent threat risk assessments, handle new school placements for students, and respond to critical incidents such as natural disasters and illnesses. We also consult with school counsellors on all manner of issues and connect schools with community resources. Many of us take part in integrated case management meetings and community meetings, and provide training for administrators, district principals, other staff members and community partners on many topics.
What types of students do you typically work with and how are they referred to you?
We work with all of the schools in the district, from K-12. Typically, we work with students who present with challenging behaviours and/or mental health issues.
How do you see your work impact the students you work with?
We hope that the interventions we put in place help to reduce the risk of violence in our schools. We also hope that our work serves to assist children in receiving the help that they need, thereby helping them to achieve good mental and physical health, as well as academic success.
We hope that our availability to our schools assists them in making good decisions for their students, on many levels including behaviour plans, safety plans, accessing school supports to increase students’ likelihood of success, and accessing appropriate community resources for students and their families.
What do you find most rewarding and/or what inspires you in your day-to-day work?
Being able to assist people who are in extreme distress, perhaps on the worst day of their lives, thereby easing their pain to whatever degree it is possible. We help them get through, move forward, and access supports that will assist with emotional and academic success. At times, I believe that we help schools save kids’ lives. We help our amazing school colleagues to change the trajectories of children onto a path that leads in a much more positive direction.
Are there any other details you wish to share?
Many people look at our team of six and say things like “I don’t know how you do this work.” I always reply that it is an honour to help people during these significantly difficult times. If we do help to ease burdens or help kids move forward, it is all worth it.
