Individual Counseling
School counselors are available to provide 1-to-1 support to students as needed. While the support provided can be therapeutic, the role of a school counselor is not to diagnose or provide therapy. Rather, we are able to provide short-term support to help students overcome challenges that are having an impact on their school performance. We are a resource similar to the school nurse in that she can provide screening and band aids but refers out for more serious problems.
If there are concerns that need more consistent and comprehensive services, we would be happy to provide resources for nearby therapists and agencies in our community that specialize in helping school-aged children.
Topics we often assist students with include:
- Academic support (identifying barriers to success and creating interventions)
- Emotional awareness and self-regulation skills
- Behavior challenges at school
- Career awareness, exploration and planning
- Communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, or issues of bullying
- Divorce/family separation or other big life changes including grief & loss support
- Goal setting and decision-making
- Organization and study skills
- Peer relationships and effective social skills
Small Group Counseling
Small group counseling is generally offered twice each school year: once in the fall, and once in the spring. Recommendations can come from parents/guardians, AA staff members, or students themselves. Small groups generally meet once/week, for about 30-45 minutes, over the course of 6-8 weeks. Counselors work with teachers to determine the least disruptive time for groups to take place, and most often they occur during lunch/recess or study hall. During small group counseling, students are given the opportunity to learn more about themselves, develop new tools like coping strategies and self-awareness, improve confidence, and hear from peers that they are not alone. We often use games, art, music, modeling, role play, and books along with discussion to practice these skills.
Small group topics include:
- Emotional awareness & self-regulation
- Specific emotional growth groups (e.g. Worry Warriors, Angry Birds)
- Grief & Loss or other Big Life Transitions
- Leadership & Self-Esteem
- Academic Fitness
- & more! Our counselors work to be adaptive and provide exposure to a variety of topics each school year based on student need.
Request Counseling Services
If you are a parent/guardian and would like your child's counselor to meet with them, or if you are a student who would like to speak with their counselor, you can
request School Counseling services here.