Neil Williams: From high school counselor to district psychologist

Staff member Neil Williams is transitioning from a counselor at LHS to a Lewiston School District psychologist.

Purr: What is your current occupation here?
Neil Williams: I am a guidance counselor.
Purr: How long have you been a counselor?
Williams: I’ve been a counselor for 21 years here.
Purr: How have things changed since you started working here?
Williams: I think staff has changed, different school requirements have changed, different federal education codes have changed, but students are still pretty much the same.
Purr: How has this job changed you, personally?
Williams: I think it’s made me a better listener, I think it’s increased my sense of humour, I think it’s helped me to be creative in how I work with situations.
Purr: What are your goals moving forward, occupation wise?
Williams: So, this is another masters degree. It’s an EDS in school psychology, and I’ve never really worked in this, so it’s a degree I have not used and I wanted to use that and do something different for a couple years. So that’s kind of my goal, to expand my horizons a little bit, and- I love this job by the way, I really love it- so this would be something different- just a different way to look at things.
Purr: When are you starting your new position?
Williams: In the fall. I’ll do summer school in my regular counselor’s job and I’ll start in September in the new job.