Welcome to Mrs. Stalnaker's Home Page

                     

"Be yourself, who else is better qualified."  -by Frank J. Giblin

About Me... My name is Heather Stalnaker and I am beginning my fifth year as the school counselor here at Big Elm.  I have been counseling for seven years now.  I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a national certified counselor (NCC) and a certified school counselor.  I graduated with a Master's in Counseling from WVU in 2005.  Prior to working as a school counselor, I was a therapist in a correctional facility and a hospital.  I truly enjoy getting to work with the students here at Big Elm.  My door is always open to them and I am so glad that so many students take advantage of it.  It is important to remember that everyone could use a counselor from time to time, no matter what the situation. Referral Process Student Referral-  a student may come to my office or fill out a student referral form that is in the classroom. Teacher Referral- a teacher will contact me, via phone, e-mail, referral form or in person to refer a student to me. Parent Referral-  a parent can refer their child by phoning me here at the school (326-7280), sending a note to your child's teacher, e-mailing me at hstalnaker@access.k12.wv.us or you can call and schedule an appointment if you would like to speak in person.

Counseling Services Classroom Guidance Lessons Individual Counseling (as needed- if your child needs longer that 4 or 6 consecutive, weekly sessions I will refer them to an outside agency) Crisis Counseling Group Counseling- as needed Groups depend on the needs and referral of the students Student Assistance Team (SAT) 504 Plans Issues  Self-Esteem Bullying Social Development Career Awareness Grief Divorce Relationships Organizational Skills ADHD/ADD Anger Management Stress Management

Important to Note *Ideally the information discussed between myself and the student(s) is confidential.  I explain to the students that they can trust me and what they say is just between us.  However, if a child tells me that they want to hurt themselves, they want to hurt someone else or someone is hurting them, I will contact the parent (as long as the parent is not the one hurting them) and break confidentiality.  I ask that parents respect the confidentiality between the counselor and the student.  This includes custody issues, I prefer to not be put in a place where I would have to break the trust of a child, unless they are in imminent danger.* McKinney-Vento Act This year, Big Elm Elementary, under the direction of the Harrison County Board of Education and in conjunction with the Federal Government is offering a variety of services funded through the McKinney-Vento Act.  The McKinney-Vento Act was designed to help families who, because of economic hardship, have had to change their housing situation.  If you are living with another family member (parent, sibling, cousin, etc.), a friend, two or more families in the same dwelling, RV or Camper, a shelter, a vehicle, a motel/hotel or efficiency apartment or any other temporary situation then you may be eligible for services, such as free breakfast/lunch, school supplies, etc.  The school counselor is the contact person at the school level and I have been contacting families that may qualify based on information given on the student information forms; however, if you feel that you may qualify for these services please feel free to contact me at the school.  Mr. Jim Kirby is the contact person at the Harrison County Board of Education.