Counselor Helps Students Find Their SPARK
Ms. Rodriguez offers guidance in room B56A. Photo Credit: Amy Jiang
By AMY JIANG
When students need help with family, relationship, or drug problems, where should they go? One safe space is with SPARK counselor Ms. Tatiana Rodriguez, who offers students guidance and help in Room B56A.
SPARK stands for “Seeking Prevention and Reinforcing Knowledge.” SPARK is a program that is “a resource in addition to guidance, social work, or service from the school psychologist,” said Ms. Rodriguez. “It provides students with a safe judgement-free space to openly discuss issues youth often face.”
Some of the common issues that students come to talk about are family disputes or abuse, relationships, communication issues, peer pressure, feelings of anxiety and depression, and drug-related issues. Ms. Rodriguez works with a wide demographic of students.
Being a SPARK counselor is a very “rewarding job,” she said. “I am always proud to see my students walk across the stage during graduation.”
As a SPARK counselor, she learned that “adolescence is arguably the most trying chapter in many people's lives.”
Each case that she encounters is different; it all depends on the “nature of the matter,” she said.
“I always use empathy and refrain from judgement when interacting with students,” she said. “I try to provide information and give suggestions to guide students in the right direction to come to their own conclusions and make healthy decisions.”
As she was growing up, Ms. Rodriguez went through “different phases.” Early on, she wanted to become a veterinarian since she was an “animal lover.” As she grew older, her passion for art made her want to be a graphic designer. But she then found her greatest interest in becoming a counselor and helping others. It is a profession where she can provide youth with tools to be able to cope with mental, emotional, and social issues in a healthy way.,” she explained.
Her previous job was at The Children’s Aid Society where she worked with youth ages 11 - 21. Now she only works at Midwood.
Middle school students and high school students are very similar, but middle school students tend to be more impulsive and make decisions before fully thinking of the potential consequences, she said.
Ms. Rodriguez works very closely with Ms. Haley Schwartz, a counselor at Midwood who used to run RAPP (the Relationship Abuse Prevention Program). Ms. Rodriguez also does presentations and teaches in health classes. Some of her hobbies are gym, journaling, meditation, and spending time with friends and family.
She got her Associate’s Degree and CASAC-T (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee Certification) at Kingsborough Community College and her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at York College.
As a counselor, her biggest obstacle is the “feeling when some of my past clients would relapse or get hospitalized due to drug use,” she said.
A lesson that she has learned being a counselor is the “importance of patience when interacting with others.” Empathy is also essential, she said.
If you have any issue that you want to talk about, come see Ms. Tatiana Rodriguez in Room B56A. She works Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.