Meet Dana Edwards | School Counselor & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dana Edwards and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
Currently, I am a school counselor at an elementary school and a self-published author. My end goal is to merge the two to benefit all diverse students. I want to create a collection of books and activities that target mental health issues within our community such as grief, self-esteem, and social skills. My goal is to create a safe space and provide positive coping skills for students to combat these issues. Furthermore, I want to assist parents/guardians in starting the conversation surrounding the importance of taking care of our mental health and providing resources to aid in that discussion. I want to reach as many children as possible. It is for these reasons that I created The Counselor’s Cabinet, LLC.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Currently, I serve as one of the school counselors at an elementary school and I have been in this capacity for six years. As a school counselor, you get to make connections with students from various grade levels, personalities, and walks of life. This passion bloomed from a very early age. I wanted to be an educator since I was in the second grade and I come from a long line of educators, including my father. I can remember going to school with my father on Saturday mornings to help him rearrange his classroom or grading papers. Additionally, playing “school” with my sister, as children, and teaching lesson plans to our dolls. To this day, I enjoy molding the minds of our future leaders. As an educator, you have ups and downs. However, my passion for teaching the next generation, the resilience of my students to rise above their challenges, and their willingness to reach their goals keep me innovative and energized.

Additionally, I am a self-published author. I wrote my first book, Always and Forever: A Children’s Book to Cope with Grief and Loss, during the pandemic. I noticed that a lot of students were losing family members at vast rates. Personally, I lost both of my grandmothers and close friends during that time period. It made me realize that there was one topic that no person could avoid: Grief and loss. When interacting with my students, I noticed that there were not a variety of books targeted for minority students when it came to this topic. Most of the stories either referenced animals or inanimate objects. This encouraged me to write Always and Forever. In a sense, writing Always and Forever was a coping strategy for me too. Becoming a self-published author is not an easy task, but well worth it. There is a lot of information out there on the self-publishing process and essentially you have to do everything yourself: write, publish, and market. Engaging with other self-published authors in groups, staying organized, and sifting through all of the information definitely helped. Also, taking a deep breath and not being so hard on your self during this journey. Giving yourself credit is key! You’ve got this!

I want the world to know that I am the proud owner of The Counselor’s Cabinet, LLC. Our mission is to provide children’s books and activities to increase the academic, social/emotional, and career development of all diverse students. It is very important for children to see themselves in books. It is a light that you can see in their eyes when they see a character that looks like them or experiences a situation similar to theirs. It gives them the motivation to read that book, put themselves in the story, and identify with those characters. Kids deserve to get lost in a good book. Providing diverse characters and storylines can increase their literacy skills. Ultimately, it provides them with a space where they feel inspired to take on the world and encourages them to reach their highest potential. Those revelations fueled me to provide a book like that for my students. In the words of Beverly Cleary, “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelves, write it.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I currently reside in Sparkle City (Spartanburg, SC). The city is definitely on the rise and has many unique spots to visit. The first place I would take my friend is downtown Spartanburg to enjoy some great food, music, and vibes. One of my favorite places to eat downtown is Lime Leaf. Then, we would take our food outside and enjoy the scenery. After that, we would find a fun activity to do such as ceramic painting, Paint and Sip, etc. Lastly, we would end the day with some local dessert from a local bakery such as Smallcakes.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to all of my family, friends, and mentors that inspire and motivate me daily to pursue my dreams. None of this would be possible without your support. Additionally, I want to shoutout our educators and parents. Our work is never easy, but the rewards are priceless. You are seen and appreciated abundantly! Lastly, I want to shoutout all children, teens, and young adults. Keep being resilient and never give up on your dreams!

Website: http://thecounselorscabinet.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_dr.edwards/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087421485676&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Other: https://linktr.ee/dana_edwards