Tom Marshall finds a not-so-new calling

WASSAIC — For 13 years Tom Marshall was a familiar face in the halls of Webutuck High School, although some of that time had been spent at Eugene Brooks Intermediate School. Marshall served as school social worker, dean of students, student assistance counselor, among other roles in the district.

This year, after 25 years in education, the part-time pastor retired to dedicate himself to his counseling service through Gridley Chapel, in Wassaic. The move was also to allow him to spend more time with his family and a “family illness issue†that has been taking up much of his time.

Marshall’s business, Crossroads Counseling Center, provides counseling and educational advocacy to young adults, primarily, and their families, in the Tri-state region.

“It’s a step beyond the process of the local school district,†he said. “As a parent advocate, I can advise and counsel parents on what resources are available, keeping in mind it’s a lengthy process.â€

At the same time, he’s still available for students, too, although they don’t have to be from the Webutuck Central School District.

“The average student needs to be nurtured in the process, and counseling is just one service of many,†Marshall said. “There are times when the families cannot fill that need, so the counseling component is vital. Families themselves need to know that there are partners in the process of educating their child.

“My biggest hope is that the students feel their school cares for them and encourages them,†he added. “And that it’s there for them as a model and mentor. For the school to encourage the desire to learn, not the desire to escape and get out. And the parents need to feel that they’re getting their money’s worth. The confidence level needs to be high, not low. They need to have confidence in the school.â€

Marshall said he’s certainly open to working with school districts on a case-by-case basis, but thinks that working more closely with students and their parents outside of the school system would be more practical. One issue that he watches for is to make sure students feel like they are individuals working within a system.

“Individuality needs to be encouraged,†Marshall said. “The goal can’t primarily be to conform to our system because children in public education tend to do that. Conformity seems to be the mantra today. Children are required to conform at the expense sometimes of their individuality.â€

The lifelong counselor said there are tools to help children out of their shell and to help them define who they are while succeeding in the academic environment. One goal is to provide a “tool box†to help young students deal with stress management issues.

“I try to help them deal with issues of family interaction because a lot of kids shut down from their families, and then parents shut down from their kids, so making the right choices and accepting responsibility for those choices is important,†Marshall said. “Ultimately creating a sense of hope and focusing on the potential, as well as their responsibilities to their families and their communities, is what I strive for.â€

Marshall did say he regretted his decision to retire from Webutuck was so hasty; he would have preferred giving the community more notice of his intentions.

“First of all I want to apologize for the abrupt change in my life circumstances, but I am encouraged that things will work out in the school, and I’m available — a phone call away,†he said.

To contact Marshall at Crossroads Counseling Center, located in the hamlet of Wassaic at Gridley Chapel, call 860-334-4432 or e-mail ccm@minister.com.