Counseling Services

The Smithfield Middle School Counseling Program promotes the American School Counselor Association's Mindsets and Behaviors in the academic, personal/social, and career domains. 

The School Counseling Core Curriculum is delivered through the following avenues:

• Classroom Counseling: The School Counselor provides lessons to every classroom in order to enhance student development.  Examples of lessons could include conflict resolution, classroom success, anti-bullying, goal setting, and career awareness.

• Group Counseling: Small Groups for counseling are created based on student need.  These groups typically consist of 4-8 students who are in the same grade level.  Groups will last for about 30 minutes during the school day and will typically run for 6-8 sessions during the school year.  Examples of groups include self-esteem, changing families, friendship/social skills, grief, and study skills.  If a student is invited to participate in a group, additional information and a permission slip will be sent home to the student’s parent/guardian.

Individual Services include planning with the student and responding to the students' current needs and concerns.

•  Appraisal: The School Counselor works with students to evaluate their interests, abilities, and achievement.  This information can be gathered through formal evaluations and informal meetings between students and the School Counselor.

• Advisement: The School Counselor assists students in making decisions about academic, personal/social, and career planning as needed throughout the school year.

• Responsive Counseling Services: The School Counselor, in collaboration with the Smithfield Middle School faculty and staff, strives to quickly and accurately identify students who may need assistance with a recent issue so the problem does not continue to grow.  The School Counselor will work with the student individually or in small groups. Outside counseling may be suggested to parents or guardians as a way to better help meet the student's needs (see "Referrals to Outside Agencies").

Additional Services

• Referrals to In-School Services: The School Counselor may initiate a referral to the Child Study Committee to see what can be done to help a student reach their full potential.  The Committee may find that a student has a disability that qualifies him or her or accommodations through a Section 504 Plan or for Special Education services.

• Referrals to Outside Agencies: The School Counselor may find that he or she is unable to extensively help a student because to do so would overstep his or her competencies and training as a School Counselor.  In this case, the School Counselor will provide referrals to the student and his/her family to various community agencies, such as individual counseling, family counseling, or emergency services, to ensure that the student is getting the assistance that he or she needs. With written permission from the student’s parent or guardian, the School Counselor may consult with an outside agency who is working with a student and his/her family.  The purpose of this consultation would be for the School Counselor to understand how to best support the student at school.

• Consultation: Parents/guardians can seek assistance from the School Counselor for academic and personal/social concerns.  The School Counselor can connect parents with resources and community agencies, provide strategies for working with their student, and facilitate meetings between parents, students, and school personnel.  Teachers and Administrators may also seek assistance from the School Counselor to learn about strategies or provide resources to help these individuals work more effectively with students in their classroom/school. 

• The Smithfield Middle School Counselors also serve as the case manager for students with a Section 504 plan for anxiety and/or depression.