Counseling Department Home

The counselor provides individual and group counseling services in order to assist children in the following:

• Conflicts with peers
• Teacher-child conflicts
• Rejection
• Friendships
• Grief and loss
• Disasters
• Family conflicts that affect learning
• Separation and divorce problems
• Anger management
• Impulse control
• Setting realistic goals
• Attention and learning deficit

1. Personal development - counselors help students to:
   • develop positive self-esteem.
   • accept responsibility.
   • develop attitudes and actions necessary to achieve.
   • deal with the effects of abuse.
   • cope with the stress that might lead to feelings of isolation, depression, and suicide.
   • develop an awareness of the child's unique potential.
2. Social development - counselors help students to:
   • develop feelings of adequacy in relation to others.
   • learn ways to resolve interpersonal relationships.
   • establish sound family relationships.
   • establish good peer relationships.
   • establish effective working relationships with teachers and administrators.
   • develop respect for individual differences in attitude, values, and backgrounds.
3. Educational development -- counselors help students to:
   • use learning opportunities in effective ways.
   • develop educational plans that relate to their interests, aptitudes, achievements, values, and needs.
   • Counselors help identify learning problems/styles for early remediation.
   • Counselors affect the school environment by implementing school-wide programs, e.g., anti-gang activities, positive discipline, peer counseling, peer tutoring, career awareness, conflict management, adopt-a-school program, and so forth.
4. Career development -- counselors help students to:
   • be aware of career choices and opportunities.
   • meet and talk to persons from various careers regarding the 17 Career Clusters.
   • discuss educational standards that meet career goals.

• The counselor confers with parents in order to help children change unwanted behaviors and attitudes.
• The counselor coordinates parent education groups.
• The counselor provides parents with community resources when necessary.
• The counselor empowers parents to become more involved in school and community affairs.

• The counselor provides information and resources for classroom guidance activities.
• The counselor confers with teachers and staff to plan jointly for the students' needs.
• The counselor provides in-service and staff development programs on counseling issues such as crisis management, fetal alcohol syndrome, hyperactivity, and behavior modification.
• The counselor offers teachers interventions and strategies that enhance a child's ability to succeed in the learning environment.

• The counselor coordinates human services at the school site to ensure that the basic security needs of children are met. Counselors provide information and referrals about community agencies and services.
• The counselor acts as a liaison for community agencies to disseminate information to the school community and to bring additional programs to the school, e.g., youth gang services, mental health services, college intern programs, etc.

• Counselors are aware of current research and future trends.
• Counselors are aware of the need to find positive outlets for stress and to develop a personal support system.
• Counselors participate in conferences, conventions, meetings, and other modes of networking and gaining expertise.
• Counselors join professional organizations in order to share and gain from other professionals.

• Counselors deal with personal crises of students and their families.
• Counselors provide emotional support when there is death or violence in the family or community.
• Counselors provide emotional support in child abuse cases.
• Counselors address suicidal ideation and depression in children.
• Counselors serve on school crisis teams and other crisis intervention teams.