Counseling

Our Beliefs

All students have the right to a safe and supportive learning environment.
All students can achieve and meet high standards for academic success and lifelong learning.
School counselors are responsible for providing a data-driven, developmentally-appropriate comprehensive school counseling program that meets the academic, career, and personal/social needs of all students.
Student success is maximized when there is an intentional collaborative effort among students, teachers, staff, parents/guardians, families, and the community.

What do Middle School Counselors do?

Middle school counselors are Master’s level professional educators that are trained in child and adolescent development, learning strategies, and self-management and social skills. The middle school years represent a monumental period of development characterized by exploration of abilities and interests, identity development, socialization with peers, and rapid physical and mental growth. Through their adolescent years, middle school students are beginning to connect the work they complete in their classrooms to its practical application in their everyday lives. Middle school counselors enhance the learning process of all students by promoting academic, career, and personal/social development through the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program. In collaboration with staff, families, and the community, school counselors cultivate a safe, respectful learning environment in which all students are able to succeed.

What Services do School Counselors Offer?

​Direct Services Include:

• Instruction – teaching the school counseling curriculum to students focused on topics such as stress management, social skills, personal safety, career development, and academic success
• Appraisal and Advisement – working with students to identify their abilities and interests and to help them make decisions regarding their future academic and career pathways
• Counseling – providing professional assistance and support to individual students or small groups of students during times of heightened stress, transition, or other situations impeding student success*

Indirect Services Include:

• Consultation – sharing strategies to support student achievement with families, teachers, other educators, and community organizations
• Collaboration – working alongside other educators, families, and the community to support student achievement
• Referrals – supporting the well being and success of students by connecting students and families to valuable school and community-based resources

*School counselors do not provide therapy or long-term counseling in schools; however, school counselors are prepared to recognize and respond to student mental health needs and assist students and families in seeking resources.