phillipscounselor - Meet the Counselor

Dear Phillips Families,

My name is Claudia Henkel and I am the school counselor here at Phillips Elementary! I graduated from South Dakota State University with my Masters of School Counseling. I have been working in various roles in the elementary school setting for six years and this is my fourth year as the counselor at Phillips!

I was born and raised in South Dakota, but about five years ago, my husband and I decided to escape the cold weather to move down here. We quickly fell in love with Texas and made this our home! When I am not at the school, you can find me typically hanging with our two cats, our son Theodore, watching Harry Potter, cooking or baking, gardening, or just hanging with friends!

This year I will be providing guidance lessons to all classrooms, conducting small group counseling, and working individually with students and parents. My goal as the counselor at Phillips is to make sure all students feel cared for, capable, and connected. I am oh so thrilled to be a part of the Phillips family, and I am looking forward to getting to know you and your student throughout the year!

Counselor's Role

The state and district guidelines for counselor responsibilities can be found at this link: http://www.friscoisd.org/ly/departments/GuidanceCounseling/guidanceK-5.htm

I perform a number of duties in order to achieve my goal of helping children be the best version of themselves.

Classroom Guidance

I will be providing guidance lessons to your child approximately three times every five weeks. During this time I will present a lesson based on the character traits we are focusing on for the month as well as needs that arise within the grade level. Some of these topics will include problem solving, goal setting, responsibility, cooperation, drugs prevention , goal setting, college and career, building friendships, and many more. The complete list can be found on the link above.

Small Groups

Small groups are another way that I work with children. We meet to discuss a topic of interest to that group. We work on strategies to help them throughout the year and have a great time! You will receive more information on those groups as the year starts!

Individual Guidance

I do meet individually with students to help them through an issue or situation. It is important to keep in mind that school counselors do no provide therapy. Remember that my goal is to help students with academic success and issues that could interfere with that classroom success. If your child is experiencing an issue that affects them outside of school, I have a variety of resources that may help!

Student Support

I am also part of the Student Support Team that meets to help make a plan for a student's success. I serve on that committee and help our SST team with forming goals and strategies that will focus on students social, emotional and academic needs.

Lonestar PALS

We partner with Lonestar High School and their mentorship class to bring mentors to our campus for students that would benefit. If you feel your student would benefit from a positive mentor, please reach out to me.

Counselor's Role

Claudia Henkel phone: 469.633.3929 email: henkelc@friscoisd.org