Information About School Counselors
Q: What is a School Counselor?
A: A School Counselor is an educator who specializes in working with students to help solve problems. We’re good listeners and we have lots of strategies we can suggest for different issues. Whether it’s a problem at school or at home, a problem with your friends, or a personal issue that you’re dealing with, we’re here to help.
Q: How can a School Counselor help me?
A: You may have a particular concern or worry about something going on right now that is stressing you out. Maybe you are fighting with your parents a lot, maybe you’re friends are pressuring you to do stuff you aren’t comfortable with, or maybe you are having trouble paying attention in class. Whatever the problem is, it’s probably starting to interfere with your school work. School Counselors are trained to help kids work through these and many other problems. We will work together to try to find solutions and to develop emotional skills (like managing your anger or coping with stress) that can prevent other problems in the future.
Q: Do School Counselors talk to my teachers and parents, too?
A: In addition to working with kids, School Counselors also work to help parents and teachers solve problems, too. For example, we might help parents set up outside counseling for their child, or offer suggestions for problems that are happening at home. We might work with teachers to set up behavior plans for students who are having trouble behaving in class, or work with them to brainstorm different strategies to help a student get the most out of their classes.
Q:What else do School Counselors do?
A: Lots of stuff. We consult with teachers and administrators about issues that effect kids and the best ways to meet their needs. School Counselors might help coordinate projects and activities like 5th grade Orientation or High School Course Selection.
Counselors sometimes run support groups for students. These kinds of groups are usually short-term (6-8 weeks long) and focus on specific topics, like dealing with family changes, coping with grief, or developing social skills. Counselors also visit classrooms to provide lessons on topics that are important to all students, like school success, bullying prevention, and peer pressure. These are sometimes referred to as Developmental Guidance lessons, because they address an issue that most kids face at this point in their development. The purpose of these groups and lessons is to help students learn information and skills that will promote healthy academic and emotional development.
Q: How can I contact my/my child’s School Counselor?
A: Each School Counselor’s contact information (phone number, email
address) is on her “About Me” page. Students can stop by
the Guidance Office during the school day to see the Counselors or to
make an appointment for a later time. It might be awkward at first to
talk to someone you don’t know, but we will try to make you feel
welcomed and relaxed so that you will be comfortable sharing what’s
on your mind
Myths About School Counselors
Myth: If I am called down to the Counselor, it means I am in trouble.
Truth: Your Counselor might want to see you to talk about a particular issue that may have been brought up by a teacher, your parent, or another student. You don’t need to be nervous; Counselor’s see kids to help fix problems, not because they are “in trouble.”
Myth: The Counselor is going to blab what I say to my teachers and parents.
Truth: Pretty much everything you say to a School Counselor is confidential, which means that we will keep it private. There are a few exceptions: when someone is getting hurt, is in danger, or involved with something illegal. In these cases, we are required to share the information with the appropriate people. Of course, there may be issues that come up that we might encourage you to share with teachers or parents, but the decision is up to you.
Myth: The Counselor is going to boss me around and tell me what to do.
Truth: Actually, the best Counselors help kids solve their own problems. We might make suggestions, but teaching problem-solving skills is one of our main goals. One of the benefits of talking to a Counselor is that we’ve been around awhile, so chances are good that we’ve seen a problem like yours before. That means that we probably have some good ideas for you to try, and we will help you pick the one that seems right for you.
Myth: If I talk to a Counselor, it means I am crazy or that I have something wrong with me.
Truth: If you talk to a Counselor, it means you are smart enough to realize that you might need some help in solving a problem. Lots of people have seen a Counselor at some point in their lives, and most of them have found it helpful. Sure, Counselors see people with serious problems, but most of their “clients” are just regular people going through tough times.