Brand New School, Brand New Program: Building a Comprehensive School Program from the Ground Up

A collaborative partnership between the UL Lafayette Counseling Program and the Lafayette Parish School System has worked to establish a comprehensive school counseling program at the E.J. Sam Accelerated Development School of Lafayette (EJS). 

Dr. David Spruill, School Counseling Program Coordinator, has worked collaboratively with Ms. Jody Duhon, EJS Principal, Hanna Daigle, EJS School Counselor, and Layla Touchet, Counselor Education Graduate Assistant, to conduct research at the school.  Ms. Duhon was invaluable in assisting with the research data collection.  The research results were used to develop a data based comprehensive school counseling program to meet the academic, career, and personal/social needs of the EJS students. 

Another exciting product of this partnership was presenting a workshop at the Louisiana Counseling Association annual conference on October 7, 2018.  “Brand New School, Brand New Program: Building a Comprehensive School Program from the Ground Up” was presented to approximately 40 professional school counselors at the LCA Conference. 

Dr. Spruill explained the process and pragmatics of a school district and university collaboration and the benefits for all stakeholders. Layla Touchet, former Practicum student of E. J. Sam, shared her experiences and insights regarding the student needs and how she helped them to be successful. Hanna Daigle explained how she used the research data to create a comprehensive school counseling program and discussed how this partnership helped accomplish this task.  We look forward to continuing our partnership, conducting classes on the EJS campus, strengthening working relationships, and placing School Counseling Interns at EJS in the future.

Learn more about the Counseling Program.