Gone are the days when “guidance counselor” meant a class advisor or an impersonal liaison for college applications.

Today’s guidance counselors — renamed as school counselors a few years back — have more responsibilities than ever.

Each day brings something different, whether it’s a student in need of warm clothes, an emotional or behavioral issue or teaching guided lessons on character.

Essentially, a school counselor must act as a connector between parents, teachers and students, according to Ruthanna Jeffries, one of the school counselors at P.S. Jones Middle School — and that’s a job easier said than done.

“When we think school counselor, we think advocate, and that is for students and staff,” she said. “We do a little bit of everything.”

Realizing the breadth of what counselors do is one of the reasons behind the declaration of Feb. 1-5 as National School Counseling Week.

Jeffries said she has many responsibilities to the students, and with the help of co-counselor Anna Hodges, students at P.S. Jones have access to emotional, social and academic assistance. The two also collaborate with area agencies, including the Department of Social Services, Eagle’s Wings and Bright Futures Beaufort County, to come up with what is in the best interest of a child.

One of the main focuses for the counselors is college and career readiness, although it may seem like a far-off idea for the middle-school age group.

“We’re trying to show the students that there’s tons of options out there,” Hodges added. “A lot of our students haven’t been exposed to all the options.”

The goal is to get students thinking about the future, and although it applies to college and career choices, it also applies to a student’s overall development.

Part of the counselors’ job is to help mold the middle school students into young adults, tackling the awkward stages of puberty, solidifying right and wrong choices and teaching them responsibility for their actions, Hodges said.

“I think a lot of changes happen in middle school,” she said. “Some days they want to be treated like children, and some days they want to be treated like adults. … I think that’s just kind of the nature of the beast.”

Both counselors work hard to help students recognize the power of choices, good or bad, and how a person has control over what he or she chooses.

“The choices they make now start that process,” Jeffries said. “If you don’t know how to do long division now, then how are you going to do calculus?”

“It’s all about choice,” she said.

But along with the need for support for students comes the need for support for teachers, as well.

“We try to make sure the staff understands that we’re here for them, too,” Hodges said.

“We want them to feel supported,” Jeffries said. “We’re a voice for teachers when they feel like they can’t speak up.”

Jeffries and Hodges sit on the School Improvement Team and often act as liaisons between teachers, parents and administrators. They present concerns or pitch new ideas to the administrators, set up conferences for teachers and parents and help with paperwork.

For the school staff, the trust goes both ways, too.

The staff supports what the counselors do and trusts their judgment in tough situations, and the administrators support any new ideas they may want to implement, Hodges said.

As part of School Counseling Week, Hodges and Jeffries decided to give the teachers little gifts, such as mints or stickers, to let them know the support is there when needed and build morale.

But in the midst of growing to-do lists, parent or student visits and phones ringing off the hook, it can become hard to navigate. Jeffries said it’s all about multitasking, staying calm, and after the day is done, leaving work at work.

“Sometimes we get really overwhelmed,” she said. “We are always juggling. There is never a time when the phone is not ringing.”

“It’s constant interruptions,” Hodges added.

“You can’t take it home with you,” Jeffries said.

Despite the high-stress environment, it is the students who ultimately keep the counselors coming back to work.

“Just knowing that we can make a connection, knowing that you know a child is cared about,” Jeffries said. “They are the reason we get up and come to work every morning.”

“A lot of people want change immediately, but we don’t do that,” Hodges said. “Everything about a child is connected. … I think that’s important for people to understand.”