Catalina Powell: Empowering educational guidance through THE Counsellor

The emergence of “THE Counsellor” by Times Higher Education signifies a pivotal step in transforming education support services. In an interview with MSM Reporter, Catalina Powell, global director of Times Higher Education, outlined the platform’s genesis and traced its roots to the feedback of global counsellors.

Powell also highlighted strategic collaborations and the commitment to inclusivity of “THE Counsellor”. The official concludes by discussing the metrics and community engagement strategies shaping the platform’s success.

What inspired the creation of this resource-sharing platform, and how do you see it in supporting the work of counsellors?

The idea to create a resource-sharing platform for counsellors came from the counsellors themselves. BMI (part of the Times Higher Education group since 2022) has been running student recruitment fairs, high school visits for universities, and events for high school counsellors worldwide for many years.

As such, they have developed a close relationship with many experienced counsellors from all over the world and it was the counsellors themselves that pointed out the need for a platform that would allow them to share content among each other but also a place where they could find relevant content from a trusted source without needing to go through hundreds of different websites.

THE Counsellor aims to facilitate that knowledge transfer, enabling the counselling community to connect, discover relevant content, but also act as a complement to our free professional development programme for counsellors, THE CAP. 

Could you elaborate on the collaboration with Common Purpose, UCAS, Unifrog, UCL, and Huron University in the development of “THE Counsellor”? How do you believe these partnerships enhance the platform’s effectiveness and reach?

We feel very proud to be collaborating with such prestigious founding partners. On the one hand, they are providing us with high-quality content for counsellors that is current and authoritative, and on the other hand, they are using their own voices to tell their networks about THE Counsellor and therefore helping us reach counsellors around the globe.

THE Counsellor aims to be completely inclusive—it is free and will always be free for counsellors, and we welcome them regardless of level of experience, location, size of school, or curriculum delivered. 

What specific challenges do you aim to address with “THE Counsellor,” and how does it cater to the needs of counsellors in the field?

When we decided to create a tailored proposition for counsellors earlier in the year, the first step we took was to appoint an International Schools Advisory Board. This is currently comprised of a group of 14 remarkable individuals from around the world, who are highly experienced counsellors, well respected and influential in the community. They guided the decision about which content areas to cover on THE Counsellor, which in fact mirror the modules of our counsellor accreditation programme THE CAP.

We continue to meet with them regularly to consult their views on knowledge gaps, areas to focus on, concerns and opportunities within the counselling community so we can curate the content accordingly. This ensures that we remain current and relevant, and that the platform evolves at the same time as the profession. 

In what ways can this platform contribute to improving the quality of guidance provided to students?

THE Counsellor aims to become the trusted source of information for counsellors. While we don’t intend to replicate the content that already exists elsewhere, we do want to become the one ‘safe place’ where counsellors can come for advice and information.

Whether it is to signpost them to where to find the steps to complete a Common App application, an advisory piece on how a fellow counsellor successfully managed a difficult conversation with parents, or tips on how to support students when writing a personal statement, we want to empower counsellors with the right data and skills to help their students make more informed decisions about their future.

How do you plan to measure the impact and success of “THE Counsellor” in supporting counsellors and students? Are there specific goals or metrics you hope to achieve with the platform?

The first measure of success is engagement. Although the platform is only officially launching on Dec. 6, we’ve already had over 200 counsellors from around the world expressing an interest in submitting content. We launched a monthly newsletter alongside the platform that went to almost 30,000 high school professionals, our launch webinar saw over 1,000 counsellors registering to watch it, and the THE Counsellor Accreditation Programme (THE CAP) has had over 2,500 counsellors signing since launching in October.

But the real proof has been the feedback coming from counsellors themselves. We are constantly receiving messages from counsellors saying how they feel more empowered, more connected to the global community, more confident, and ultimately how they can perform their jobs better because of the tools we are giving them. 

From your perspective, what are the emerging trends in international education, and how can counsellors stay ahead in adapting to these trends? How does “THE Counsellor” align with or address these evolving trends?

I think the ultimate trend at the moment is choice. Young people are going into a world where the traditional education systems, higher education curriculums, ways of learning, careers, and the world of work are just one path, rather than ‘the only’ path.

Whether a Saudi student decides to study a degree taught 100% in English at a Portuguese university with a year abroad in Malaysia, complete their education exclusively through microcredentials, enrol in a graduate scheme where credits are given for real-life project work, or make a living out of creating AI plugins, the choices are mind blowing.

The speed at which these options are opening up is mind blowing in itself. Through THE Counsellor we want to help counsellors be aware of these developments, but more than that we want to equip them with the skills and knowledge to discover them, analyse them and then help students navigate through them.

As a counsellor put it so eloquently recently: ‘I now understand that ChatGPT won’t replace me, but those using it will.’ Replace ChatGPT with any new development and the phrase still rings true.

How do you plan to engage and involve the counsellor community in the ongoing development and improvement of “THE Counsellor”?

Throughout all our counsellor-facing activities—whether THE Counsellor, THE CAP or our in-person International Schools Forums & Workshops—the underlying trend is continuous dialogue with the counsellor community.

Our Advisory Board has been and continues to be instrumental in guiding our direction of travel and is the foundation of our ‘for counsellors, by counsellors’ ethos, which is also reflected in the ongoing repository of counsellor generated content.

In addition, our founding partners UCL, UCAS, Unifrog, Huron and Common Purpose provide an expert voice that bridges the gap between schools, higher education and the world of work. 

Are there plans for community feedback and collaboration in shaping the platform’s future?

One of the three types of content featured on THE Counsellor is advisory pieces generated by counsellors, alongside content provided by our founding partners, and content created by our editorial team. This has already proven to be incredibly popular.

There are additional collaboration opportunities through our in-person and virtual events, and we will be running surveys within the counsellor community to gather feedback but also understand knowledge needs that we may not necessarily be aware of.

We also have an Instagram page that features testimonials from counsellors, as well as allowing them to engage with us by commenting on posts.

We also encourage counsellors to share their thoughts and articles they have published on LinkedIn , which we have found a great way to create dialogue with the community. It’s humbling to see how vocal and positive they have already been so far on THE Counsellor and THE CAP.

Can you share some insights into the challenges faced during the development of “THE Counsellor,” and how were they overcome?

The biggest challenge so far has been that the ambitions and potential are so big, we have had to pace ourselves – the classic walk before you run. But our Advisory Board have been instrumental in helping us prioritise the biggest needs of the counselling community so we can put together a plan. Just like the profession the plan keeps evolving.

How can counsellors make the most of this platform in their professional development and student guidance efforts?

My advice to a counsellor is that to make the most out of THE Counsellor, ideally they should complete the THE Counsellor Accreditation Programme (THE CAP) first.

The modules will help them contextualise the content areas and support their own skills development. They should also sign up for the newsletter to hear about new content and events first, and attend the regional International Schools Forums & Workshops if they are able to.

And of course to get involved: write a piece about their own experiences so fellow counsellors can learn and relate, but also help us spread the word so THE Counsellor becomes the pivotal connection for the community all around the world.

We know counsellors play an essential role that is not always recognised often even within their own schools, so we want to amplify their voices and provide them with a space where they can connect, develop, learn, share and ultimately support them in providing a better service to their students.