How can the School Counselor help?
This form is intended to present information to staff and parents about what the School Counseling Program provides to help assist in meeting student needs. This form is by no means comprehensive of every service provided.
Overview of the School Counseling Program
Classroom Lessons
Student Planning
Responsive Services
Consultation: As your School Counselor, I consult with teachers, administrators, support staff, special education staff, school psychologists, social workers, parents/guardians, community agencies, and medical professionals regarding strategies to help students and families. I serve as a student advocate in all consultation situations.
Individual and Small Group Counseling: your School Counselor provides counseling for students expressing difficulties dealing with relationships, personal concerns, and developmental tasks.
Crisis Counseling: your School Counselor provides prevention, intervention, and follow-up.
Referral: as your School Counselor, I use referral sources to deal with suicidal ideation, violence, abuse, mental health issues, and family difficulties.
System Support
Professional Development: as your School Counselor, I am involved in updating and sharing my professional knowledge and skills through in-service training and staff meetings.
Collaboration on Teams: I am a contributing member to many groups and teams, such as:
Confidentiality
Referral for Counseling Services
The School Counseling Program is aligned to the standards set forth by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model.
This form is intended to present information to staff and parents about what the School Counseling Program provides to help assist in meeting student needs. This form is by no means comprehensive of every service provided.
Overview of the School Counseling Program
- The School Counseling Program is comprehensive in nature, striving to provide education for ALL students in three areas: academic, personal/social, and career.
- The School Counseling Program is proactive and preventative – helping students develop critical skills to achieve academic, social, and behavioral success.
- The School Counseling Program provides classroom lessons, student planning, responsive services, and system support.
Classroom Lessons
- On a regular basis, your School Counselor provides education to ALL students in the classroom setting. This provides consistent learning, language, and skill development. It allows me to observe and evaluate classroom and student needs.
- Lessons often cover these topics: emotions, coping skills, communication skills, friendships, conflict resolution, teamwork, diversity, tolerance, problem-solving, self-esteem, respect, responsibility, personal safety, healthy choices, strengths, career interests, and community building.
Student Planning
- Your School Counselor works with students to evaluate students’ abilities, interests, skills, and achievement. I do this by collecting data based parent, teacher and student input, thus helping to develop interventions such as 504 accommodation plans and behavioral plans, and observing the outcomes of such plans.
Responsive Services
Consultation: As your School Counselor, I consult with teachers, administrators, support staff, special education staff, school psychologists, social workers, parents/guardians, community agencies, and medical professionals regarding strategies to help students and families. I serve as a student advocate in all consultation situations.
Individual and Small Group Counseling: your School Counselor provides counseling for students expressing difficulties dealing with relationships, personal concerns, and developmental tasks.
- Counseling is intended to be short-term to help students identify problems, causes, coping skills, and develop goals to take appropriate action.
- I do NOT provide clinical counseling services.
Crisis Counseling: your School Counselor provides prevention, intervention, and follow-up.
- I provide counseling to students and families facing emergency situations.
- I serve as a leader in our district’s crisis team process.
Referral: as your School Counselor, I use referral sources to deal with suicidal ideation, violence, abuse, mental health issues, and family difficulties.
- Referral sources can be to mental health agencies, social and community services.
- I refer to the Department of Health and Human Services for suspicion of child abuse and neglect cases.
System Support
Professional Development: as your School Counselor, I am involved in updating and sharing my professional knowledge and skills through in-service training and staff meetings.
Collaboration on Teams: I am a contributing member to many groups and teams, such as:
- MTSS/ Student Support Team
- IEP and 504 teams
- Safety Planning Team
- District committees
- Red Ribbon Week (drug education/prevention and healthy choices)
- Child safety and sexual abuse prevention program)
- Bullying prevention program
Confidentiality
- As your School Counselor, I develop confidential relationships with students. This means that information gathered through meetings with students and parents/guardians will be shared on a “need-to-know” basis only.
- I work to maintain the privacy of students and their families. When information needs to be shared, I will assess who needs to know and what information needs to be known to best help students and their families.
Referral for Counseling Services
- As your School Counselor, I prioritize the needs of students based on referrals from:
- Teachers, administrators, support staff
- MTSS, PBIS and SPED committees
- Parents/Guardians
- Students (self-referral)
The School Counseling Program is aligned to the standards set forth by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model.