Indy Ein, like many of her fellow students enrolled in the UNC School of Education’s School Counseling program, plans to help K-12 students achieve their maximum potential – in school and beyond school – by drawing upon their strengths and by building strong relationships.
Through her coursework and as a school counselor-in-training at Ephesus Elementary in Chapel Hill, Ein is learning to become a collaborative presence within schools who brings together students, families, teachers, community members, and more in ways that help to ensure the well-being of students.
Ein’s journey to the School Counseling program began more than 10,000 miles away in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was born, raised, and educated.
And that journey began six years ago just as Ein was beginning an undergraduate degree in psychology at Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta – and just as she became increasingly aware of the high prevalence of bullying in Indonesia.
How could I support bullying victims in overcoming the negative experiences they have endured?,” Ein said she asked herself at the time.
That question led her to pursue undergraduate research focused on character strengths of bullying victims and the role of strengths-based parenting. Ein said that work revealed that Indonesian bullying victims didn’t readily implement their own strengths.
The strengths-based approach to school counseling that Carolina takes in its preparation of school counselors is one thing Ein not only hopes to learn and implement but to take back to Indonesia. She is pursuing the program with the support of a full scholarship from the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia.
Per a UNICEF publication from 2020, 41% of 15-year-olds in Indonesia had experienced bullying at least a few times a month. According to Ein, bullying in Indonesia is addressed in a responsive way: A student who bullies another student is identified by a teacher and then that student receives less effective interventions.
“There isn’t a systemic approach to [bullying] prevention,” Ein said.
Ein said she believes school counselors, who play a fundamental role in ensuring the well-being of all students and fostering positive school climates, are essential in bullying prevention in schools.
However, according to Ein and based on her experiences, school counselors in Indonesia are not always an integral part of the school system. As a result, their roles can vary significantly, leading to inconsistencies in their approach. It’s a challenge she hopes to address.
As part of the 14-month School Counseling program, Ein is serving as a school counselor-in-training at Ephesus Elementary School in Chapel Hill, where she has the opportunity to support K-5 students academically, socially, emotionally, and in aspects of their career and college readiness. She meets with students individually and in small groups to address student needs, concerns, and barriers to their success. And she is building relationships with parents and caregivers in her work to ensure well-being.
Outside of coursework and her internship, Ein is pursuing to advance herself, the school counseling profession, and the community by co-teaching the Indonesian language at the Carolina Asia Center this spring semester.
Last fall at the 2024 North Carolina School Counselor Conference in Concord, N.C., Ein presented research exploring how American School Counselor Association-based bullying interventions could be adapted for Indonesian schools, drawing upon her past research, coursework, and professional experiences.
That experience, she said, was energizing. School counselors and researchers in attendance encouraged her to take her research further, which she has taken to heart. Ein said she plans to enhance her research and practical skills in developing a comprehensive bullying intervention program.
“Indonesia needs more research on bullying,” she said. “As a school counselor, I’m looking forward to bringing back what I’ve learned to Indonesia.”