What does the counselor do?
Individual Counseling
The counselor will meet with students individually when the need arises. All students have access to the support of the school counselor. They can also be referred to the counselor by parents, teachers, and other school staff.
Classroom Guidance (Life Skills)
Classroom guidance is a preventive approach to assisting children. It allows the counselor to focus on topics that are beneficial to the whole child. The counselor meets with the grade level teams and discuss what the teachers feel would be most helpful in supporting their students. Topics can include but are not limited to: self regulation, friendship skills, conflict resolution, character education, violence prevention, transition to middle school, and teasing/bullying.
Small Group Counseling
Small group sessions are for any student that may need additional assistance in a particular area. Short-term small groups that may be offered include: friendship skills, anger management, social skills, and coping with grief and loss. Other group topics are offered as needed.
Teacher and Parent Consultation
The counselor is available to meet with teachers and/or parents regarding any concerns they have about a child.
Confidentiality
Privacy is an inherent part of the counseling relationship. As required by law, full disclosure must be made if a student indicates they wish to do harm to themselves, someone is harming them and/or they wish to harm someone else. In addition, confidentiality can be broken if given permission by the student.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
Defining the instruction that all students receive in a district or school is part of building a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). District MTSS Teams or School Leadership Teams (not individuals) define and document essential elements of Core by grade level and subject area. In order to ensure a strong, differentiated Core, these teams define, analyze and adjust Core at predetermined times throughout the year. As Core is explicitly designed, differentiated and implemented, teams will review data and ask the question: Is our Core strong enough to meet the needs of most of our students across all subgroups? Strengthening Core includes making instructional practices stronger through:
The American School Counselor Association states the following in regards to school counselors’ roles in MTSS in their schools: School counselors assist in the academic and behavioral development of students through the implementation of a comprehensive developmental school counseling program based on the ASCA National Model by:
American School Counseling Association (ASCA)
The counselor will meet with students individually when the need arises. All students have access to the support of the school counselor. They can also be referred to the counselor by parents, teachers, and other school staff.
Classroom Guidance (Life Skills)
Classroom guidance is a preventive approach to assisting children. It allows the counselor to focus on topics that are beneficial to the whole child. The counselor meets with the grade level teams and discuss what the teachers feel would be most helpful in supporting their students. Topics can include but are not limited to: self regulation, friendship skills, conflict resolution, character education, violence prevention, transition to middle school, and teasing/bullying.
Small Group Counseling
Small group sessions are for any student that may need additional assistance in a particular area. Short-term small groups that may be offered include: friendship skills, anger management, social skills, and coping with grief and loss. Other group topics are offered as needed.
Teacher and Parent Consultation
The counselor is available to meet with teachers and/or parents regarding any concerns they have about a child.
Confidentiality
Privacy is an inherent part of the counseling relationship. As required by law, full disclosure must be made if a student indicates they wish to do harm to themselves, someone is harming them and/or they wish to harm someone else. In addition, confidentiality can be broken if given permission by the student.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
Defining the instruction that all students receive in a district or school is part of building a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). District MTSS Teams or School Leadership Teams (not individuals) define and document essential elements of Core by grade level and subject area. In order to ensure a strong, differentiated Core, these teams define, analyze and adjust Core at predetermined times throughout the year. As Core is explicitly designed, differentiated and implemented, teams will review data and ask the question: Is our Core strong enough to meet the needs of most of our students across all subgroups? Strengthening Core includes making instructional practices stronger through:
- expecting high student engagement and eliciting frequent responses;
- designing instruction which allows for explicit teaching and differentiation;
- providing immediate feedback;
- scaffolding instruction such as pre-teaching critical vocabulary; and
- ensuring opportunities for deliberate, retrieval and distributed practice.
The American School Counselor Association states the following in regards to school counselors’ roles in MTSS in their schools: School counselors assist in the academic and behavioral development of students through the implementation of a comprehensive developmental school counseling program based on the ASCA National Model by:
- Providing all students with a standards-based school counseling core curriculum to address universal academic, career and personal/social development
- Analyzing academic and behavioral data to identify struggling students
- Identifying and collaborating on research-based intervention strategies that are implemented by school staff
- Evaluating academic and behavioral progress after interventions
- Revising interventions as appropriate
- Referring to school and community services as appropriate
- Collaborating with administrators, other school professionals, community agencies and families in the design and implementation of MTSS
- Advocating for equitable education for all students and working to remove systemic barriers
American School Counseling Association (ASCA)