The profession of school counseling has evolved a lot in recent years! According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), a school counseling program is "comprehensive in scope, preventative in design, and developmental in nature." At Ephesus, the school counselor works with all parents, staff, and students to design programming that positively impacts the personal/social, career, and academic development of ALL students within the American School Counselor Association's National Model. This is done in several ways:
Classroom Lessons
The counselor teaches social-emotional lessons in every class on a variety of topics pertinent to our school and students, such as self-regulation, safety, conflict management, and social skills. Lessons are developmentally appropriate and align with the North Carolina Student Success Standards.
Counseling Groups
Counseling small groups provide an opportunity for more focused instruction or community building around a shared topic. One of our goals is to have every student participate in small group counseling at some point during their time at Ephesus. These groups held on a regular basis on a variety of topics, such as academic skills, conflict resolution, emotion regulation, friendship, divorce, or grief/loss. Referrals for groups come from a review of schoolwide data and student/parent/staff member referral.
Individual Counseling
Students can meet with the counselor for an individual session to discuss goal setting, academic concerns, social/personal issues, or to celebrate and share an accomplishment. Individual counseling is short-term, solution-focused, and is not the same as psychotherapy. Referrals for an individual session can come from staff, parents, or students.
For additional information, visit the FAQ section.