Portsmouth Public Schools (PPS) Director of School Counseling Lorraine Schlichte has been named the 2025 Virginia School Counselor Association (VSCA) Leadership Award recipient.
According to the VSCA, this award recognizes those individuals who supervise, support, and/or educate school counselors by their leadership and advocacy for the field of counseling. It is specifically noted that Leadership Award recipients have a positive impact on the school counseling field and improve the services offered by those they supervise.
“Ms. Schlichte has proven herself to be an impactful and respected leader in our division as well as in the field of school counseling,” said PPS Superintendent Dr. Elie Bracy, III. “As a former school counselor myself, I can speak personally to the imperative service our counselors provide each day. We are privileged to have such a consummate and dedicated professional as Ms. Schlichte leading that work for us. I am delighted to see her rightfully honored by the VSCA with this award.”
Nominated by a PPS counselor, Schlichte was lauded for her proactive work to elevate school-based mental health services and expand professional learning opportunities for counselors by applying for and securing grant funding for the division.
In her time as director, Schlichte has helped staff receive training on topics such as grief and trauma as well as participate in organizations like the VSCA and American School Counselor Association (ASCA). For example, her leadership was credited as one of the reasons two PPS schools earned the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) status for 2025.
The VSCA is the only school counselor association in the Commonwealth of Virginia solely for and by school counselors. VSCA provides professional development opportunities through workshops and conferences, networking opportunities, and providing current and relevant information to school counselors throughout the state.