A New Face

[collissimon]

Sometimes, when a camper gets frustrated or annoyed, and kicks off, counsellor #1 can go to him/her and say all the right things, i.e. be calm, etc etc. However, because the camper is too irrational at the time of contact, or because counsellor 1 is the first one on the scene, they can be less than effective.

Another instance, a counsellor can become tired, or feel themselves getting frustrated themselves.

At this point counsellor #2 can come in, say exactly the same things, use the same tools, but this time... it works! There are times when asking for a 'new face' is the most effective thing you can do.

[speedx5xracer]

You read my mind collissimon. I like this technique, I never actually needed to use it but it does help alot bringing a different person. The only problem i have with this one is that if the new face doesnt know the whole situation it might be a problem but if they are briefed before hand it should work out great.

[Dave]

Good idea. I like this technique.

[camper]

i like it...also this might be a horrible thing to say but sometimes there will just be another counselor that the particular camper will like better than you who they will listen more to just for that reason, or you might be the counselor that kid likes so the if someone else tries first he or she will call on you after. so bringing in someone else might definitely work, i've seen it work. sometimes my kids will be going wild and my co will try telling them to calm down and they'll completely ignore it, but then i come in and i'll be like "ok guys chill" and thats all it takes!

[who_stole_my_loofa]

i dont think it sounds horrible at all. just as much as we have favorite campers... they have favorite counselors.

a fresh face always helps... as long as its not a scary face!

[rockinsmiles]

This is oh so true! Hell i know that there are times id would like a freash face to talk to. Its not that i dont like the one person but there just are those people that you "click" with.

[collissimon]

It's not used for campers to pick their favourite, or soft camper, because it's the counsellors who use it as a tool.

It's for when a kid is losing control, and can associate the first counsellor with the thing that frustrates them, so they need someone fresh (a really good word!) to come in and let them allow themselves to calm down.

Sometimes if a kid is flipping out, and it's a bit of an arduous thing for both the camper and counsellor, a new counsellor lets the first one not get frustrated themselves, and it also lets the kid calm down without losing face.

[camper]

yeah, i understand...i'm saying that maybe it might take that camper's 'favorite" counselor to calm him or her down.

[CAMPFRIEND]

I like it as well. I think that some counselors do work better with some campers..

[Dave]

Oh I hate when campers pick favorite counselors and I'm not it. It makes me feel like I'm not doing a good job. It's the worst when you're on the bottom of the list. It seems to be harder to get on their favorites list than for them to get on our favorites list.

[camper]

haha dave, that should help you keep your "favorites" in check...knowing that you don't like being on their "not favorite" list!

[CAMPFRIEND]

You all should try to be a Director. I have a group of campers who don't like me. I guess they should stop getting in trouble! I am sure they would like me more.

[Flukie]

Hahaha. That's very true, Campfriend. They probably would like you more then!

I try to never take offense if campers want to talk about issues with someone else. It is perfectly natural for campers to feel more comfortable with some staff than with others. After all, just like I have good friends that I want to talk with, they have people that they feel more close too that can help them.

However, I did have an issue this summer with my CITs going to other staff about issues within the CIT unit because then those staff started making fusses that didn't involve them at all. If you have a CIT issue, you need to either address it with the CITs or bring it to the CIT Manager for help - and we had all talked about this and agreed on it! Had it been an issue about just feeling overwhelmed by CIT or a personal problem, I would have had no issues with it. But when it happened more than once and it directly involved the other CITs and at one time, a camper issue that NEVER should have been told to the general staff that weren't even IN that unit, I have a problem with that. We got it worked out in the end, but it was a pain to deal with the mess that totally could have been avoided!

I think our AD summed it up best, "If you are having a problem with someone else on staff, STOP GOING TO SOMEONE THAT CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. You are just creating drama."

[CAMPFRIEND]

I just see it as long as the kids are safe and they follow the rules they can like me. I don't like to have to be the bad guy, but as all the kids know I can be. Like I said, part of the job.

[code3cadet]

I know that this works more time then not with camper it is a good tool. evryone sould put it in there toolbox or skills

[CIT386]

I think that this is a great idea. I know that I had my counselors that I like the best and who I liked to talk too.

[Skater Bubbles]

I have had this happen where I had a girl who was really homesick (or missed home, however you want to put it) and she would not stop screaming and crying, but after I asked another counselor to come and help me she calmed down for this other counselor. I was not offended, I was just glad this girl stopped screaming!!

[CAMPFRIEND]

I have had this happen where I had a girl who was really homesick (or missed home, however you want to put it) and she would not stop screaming and crying, but after I asked another counselor to come and help me she calmed down for this other counselor. I was not offended, I was just glad this girl stopped screaming!!

I think that it's great that you went and asked for help. That says a lot for you. Good Job. Sometimes other counselors can try things a little different than you and it will work.

[Skater Bubbles]

Well I had tried everything I could think of and I seriuosly spent about 45 minutes trying to calm this girl down, but I didn't have a co counselor and I had 11 other girls to worry about and watch so I asked our Female head counsleor to help me out, and the funny thing was that this girl wouldn't calm down fo rthe female head counselor either! But another counsleor was walking by our village and she heard all the racket and she is the one that got the girl to calm down! It was way random, but it worked and we got the girl to stay the whole week!

[CAMPFRIEND]

Good job to all of you!!! Camp is all about team work.

[collissimon]

That's ace Skater Bubbles!

I think it really can be quite random at times, though maybe the kid didn't respond to your HC because she thought she was getting into more trouble!

I think I'd just be glad that the kid stopped it too!

I suppose the one caveat with this technique has to be communicating with the person who is dealing with the situation. We had one situation the other year where a kid was chronically homesick, and it got to the point where you just leave them to get used to being at camp, and away from home. A member of our support intervention team came along and started talking to him without talking to us first. After she'd finished, he was more homesick than ever, and locked himself in the toilet, and we had to coax him out!