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Show Counselor will lend students a sympathetic ear by NAN CHALAT Record staff writer ."People like" to think of the teenage teen-age years as being carefree and happy. hap-py. But really, they can be some of the most difficult times," said Nancy Pollard, who will offer personal counseling to Park City students this year. Her new position is part of a district-wide expansion of counseling services in the schools. Pollard's duties have been grouped loosely under the title intervention specialist. special-ist. But Pollard said she isn't comfortable with that label. "Intervention implies some sort of crisis. It is too heavy. I prefer to be called a consultant with an emphasis on personal counseling. "I see myself as an extenstion of the services already available to the students, as part of the overall support system," she explained, adding she hopes to act as a liaison between parents, students, teachers, -principals and other counselors. Specifically, Pollard has been hired on a part-time contract (20 hours a week) to provide counseling to students at Park City High School and to consult, as needed, with counselors at Treasure Mountain Middle School and Parley's Park Elementary School. She said she will work closely with the high school's academic counselor, Jerry Flat, and principal Jack Dozier. t nm hoping to meet some of the needs of the students that may not have been met in the past. I plan to have regular office hours at the high school so students can feel free to drop in and discuss some of their personal needs." Some of the problems Pollard said she hopes to talk to students about include coping with stress, peer pressure, loneliness and sexuality. She said she also will be available to talk to parents and visit the students' homes. "Many of thes problems are particularly related to adolescence. These students are half adult and half child. (Adolescence) is a turning point, a time when parents can either lose or become very close to their children. I've seen it in my own kids." Pollard has three children, one in each Park City school. She has been a resident of Park City five years and is enrolled in the Masters of Social Work program at the University of Utah. She taught elementary school in Florida, where she received a certificate in early childhood education. educa-tion. For the last 12 years, while raising her own children, Pollard has been a substitute teacher, she said. "I am excited about the position. It is something the Park City schools needed," she said. "And I hope students realize they don't have to be on drugs or in trouble to see me. Everyone has troubles and often a professional can Hplp. "Above all, I want to stress confidentiality, that what a student tells me will go no further. I am not a disciplinarian. I am an interpreter who can help students understand ' some of their feelings. ' "I want the students to understand under-stand I come from a base of mutual ' respect and understanding not power. pow-er. Whenever there is a power struggle, someone wins and someone some-one loses. I prefer to find solutions that make everyone feel good. It isn't easy. It takes a certain amount of brainstorming of creativity and determination, but I think if you presevere, it is possible." Pollard will move into her new office at Park City High School when school opens Tuesday. Nan Chalat Nancy Pollard is the school district's new personal counselor. |