Mrs. Jodie Bowen

Education: B.A. Communication Studies, UVA Wise

                M.S. Counseling and Human Development, with concentrations in School Counseling and Student Affairs Administration, Radford University

Endorsements: Pupil Personnel PK-12 School Counseling Licensure

Hello Dryden Elementary students and parents!  I'm Mrs. Bowen, the school Guidance Counselor.  The 2014-2015 school year is my first at Dryden and my fourth as an elementary school counselor.  I am so lucky to get to do this job!

I enjoy my work as a school counselor because there is so much variety in my job.  I also really enjoy working with children.  It is exciting when children learn skills such as getting along with others, making good choices, and expressing feelings without hurting self or others.  Students benefit from learning these skills throughout their lives.

As a School Counselor, I perform the following roles in order to promote positive development in academic, career, and personal/social domains:

• Individual counseling
• Small group counseling
• Classroom guidance (i.e. large group counseling)
• Attend and participate in academic intervention meetings
• Organize and administer building testing
• Observe students in various school environments
• Consult and collaborate with parents, teachers, administrators, social workers, and students
• Respond to school crises or emergency situations
• Provide information and resources to parents on a variety of issues
• Meeting with new students
• Coordinate school attendance
• Record keeping
• Coordinator of Child Study Team
• and many other daily duties, as needed!

When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband and my miniature dauchund Max.  Some of my interests and hobbies include Zumba, traveling, being outdoors, volunteering, and visiting family and friends.

I graduated from the University of Virginia's College at Wise with a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies.  After serving as Coordinator of the C. Bascom Slemp Student Center at UVA-Wise, I worked as an Employee Relations Representative for Carilion Health System in Roanoke, VA.  My heart was leading me back to working with students, and I followed that path for the next five years serving as Coordinator of the Graduate Life Center at Virginia Tech.  While at Virginia Tech, I started working on my master's degree at Radford University.  Five years later and 1,200 hours of internships, I obtained my master's degree in Counseling and Human Development with concentrations in School Counseling and Student Affairs Administration.  I landed my first counseling job at Jackson Memorial Elementary School in Wythe County, VA, and also served one year at Rural Retreat Elementary School, also in Wythe County, VA.  In November 2013, my husband and I had an opportunity to move back to where our roots are, so we moved home, and we are so excited to have done so!

I am a current member of the Virginia School Counseling Association (VSCA) and the American School Counseling Association (ASCA).