Counselor

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    Counseling Department Hours

    Monday-Friday, 7:45 am - 3:15 pm

  • The Role of a School Counselor

    According to the American School Counseling Association (ASCA), "school counselors serve a vital role in maximizing student success. Through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, school counselors promote equity and access to rigorous educational experiences for all students. School counselors support a safe learning environment and work to safeguard the human rights of all members of the school community and address the needs of all students through culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs that are part of a comprehensive school counseling program."

    Please understand that school counselors are not mental health counselors and we do not provide long-term counseling/therapy. To meet the demands of a comprehensive school counseling program, our ethical and professional standards prohibit school counselors from providing long-term counseling/therapy in schools. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to clarify the difference between appropriate short-term counseling and inappropriate long-term counseling (Standard: B-SS 3c). If you are interested in learning about the roles of school counselors and/or our professional standards, follow the links below:

    The Role of School Counselors

    The Role of Middle School Counselors

    ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies

  • Reasons to see a school counselor

    Students can see their counselor for any concern or question that they may have during middle school. Counselors are equipt to help with any personal, social/emotional, or academic issue that students may face. 

    Your counselor will provide brief, solution focused counseling to support students' academic and personal goals.

    Common reasons students choose to meet with a counselor include (but are not limited to):

    • Processing difficult emotions (Anger, sadness, worries, etc)
    • Processing difficult experiences (Divorce, loss of a loved one, etc)
    • Troubling behaviors (Substance abuse, self-harm, de-escalation)
    • Learn brief coping skills
    • Skill building (Organization, communication, assertiveness, etc)
    • Self-care strategies
    • Problem solving/making decisions
    • Discussing friendship/social issues
    • Bullying/Harrassment/Intimidation
    • Identifying community resources (mental health counseling, clubs, activities, etc)
    • Assistance with basic needs (food, clothing, housing)

     

    Confidentiality

    When students speak to their counselor, the content of their discussion is 100% confidential. This means unless you are a safety to risk to yourself, a safety risk to someone else, or if someone else is hurting you - your counselor will not discuss the conversation with anyone else. 

    To learn in detail about the ethical guidelines regarding confidentiality by which school counselors operate under, please read ASCA's official statement on the topic: The School Counselor and Confidentiality.