By Lori Mai
It’s often true that people don’t know what job they want to do when they “grow up.” It’s especially true when they’re still young at heart, like Neil Williams. 23 years ago, at the age of 45, he decided he wanted to switch careers from farming to helping children.
After graduating from the University of Idaho in 1979 with an undergraduate degree in history and political science, Neil followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in farming the Williams’ century farm near Gifford for the next 21 years.
“It was about in that period of time we knew that we either needed to get bigger or do something different,” Neil says. “So, we decided to lease out the farm and change direction.”
Neil returned to school to pursue master’s degrees in counseling and school psychology as an education specialist.
“I decided that I wanted to do something with young people, because I served as a high school youth leader in my church, and I enjoyed working with adolescents,” Neil says. “I felt like I could make a difference.”
In 1997, before computer courses became commonplace, the logistics of Neil’s plans proved challenging. He lived an hour’s drive from the university. His wife, Janell, taught reading at Lapwai Elementary School, and together they were parents of 4 children—2 of whom were also in college. In addition, he worked as a substitute rural mail carrier, so moving his family closer to the university was not an option.
“I got the dean’s permission to take a little heavier load, so I did both programs concurrently,” Neil says. “It took a little bit of balancing, but I did summer school and pushed through.”
Neil completed an internship in school psychology in the Clarkston School District. Upon graduation, he accepted a job in the summer of 2000 as a guidance counselor at Lewiston High School—a position he held for the next 21 years.
Working in conjunction with 2 counselors, Neil handled course scheduling for nearly 400 students in his alphabetical section of A-G multiple times a year. For much of that time, he coordinated college visits. He also worked with Lewis-Clark State College’s dual credit programs as well as the credits for professional/technical curriculum.
He also managed the student foreign exchange program and was named the nation’s International Student Exchange Educator of the Year in 2011.
Although he liked the administrative component of his job, Neil most enjoyed listening to students’ personal issues and helping when possible.
“We really didn’t have time to do in-depth counseling,” he says. “We weren’t full-time therapists, but we could refer kids in crisis to the correct people. We weren’t fixing them per se. Our goal was for them to develop problem-solving skills, such as impulse and anger control, and better manage mood swings—skills that help them become contributing members of society.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with the opening of the new LHS facility. Neil and his colleagues witnessed fresh challenges for students as they dealt with online classes and a lack of personal attention and socialization.
“It was a difficult time for parents, teachers, administrators and counselors as we tried to navigate students through the process and keep them motivated,” Neil says. “I knew I wanted something different.”
At the time, Lewiston faced a shortage of school psychologists, so Neil accepted a new job as a district school psychologist. For 2 years, he performed student psychological evaluations, administered testing, attended meetings and wrote reports—all important functions. But Neil desired more 1-on-1 human contact with students.
Through his work as a school psychologist, he saw a need for a district counselor to provide additional support for students in all grades citywide.
He approached Lewiston School District administrators with his idea. They agreed that a need existed and that Neil might be the right person to explore the concept. Together, they customized the district counselor position as an experiment for the current 2023 and 2024 academic year.
In his new role, Neil visits schools on a regular basis to meet individually with roughly 30 at-risk elementary, middle and secondary students who are referred to him by staff at each school.
He spends time independently with the children, often making puzzles or playing with Legos, cards and other games with them while they talk to have some fun and build a positive relationship.
“I’m enjoying being in the elementary schools, because I have 6 grandchildren the ages of some of these children, and it’s gratifying to see the little kids,” Neil says. “They’re so different (from adolescents), but they’re so endearing.”
He also maintains deep appreciation for the administration, teachers and staff in the schools who care and give so much to the students.
“I basically give the kids another model of someone who cares,” he says. “They have great staff doing that, but some of these kids need additional input.”
Neil credits his Christian faith in preparing him to deal with the serious troubles he sees, as well as his self-care routine and ability to laugh and enjoy life with his family.
As Neil’s retirement nears, whether he continues much longer in this position or is laying the groundwork for future counselors remains to be seen. Through his results in the role, he hopes to convince others that there’s a need for a permanent district counselor even after he moves on.
Neil may have started his career in educational counseling and school psychology later in life, but he has more than fulfilled his goals of making a difference for more than 2 decades of students.
“I don’t believe I have any of the answers, really, other than just treating people well and giving the kids a chance,” he says. “It’s both heartwarming and sad at the same time because of the home situations for so many. And yet, there’s hope.”