• School counselors are highly trained and support students in many ways in addition to guiding them to college

• The role itself has evolved from a focus on post-graduation planning and administrative support to today’s focus on embracing a comprehensive approach to optimize student outcomes in much more than just college planning

• Focus areas include emotional support, family intervention, social development, academic guidance, and career planning

• School counselors are now a strong, collaborative member of an educational team

More information can be found here!

I’ll check in with the student to see what support is needed. Sometimes it’s a quick conversation, sometimes ongoing sessions, or connecting them with outside resources. I’ll follow up with you as appropriate while respecting student confidentiality. 

It depends on the situation. For brief check-ins, parent notification isn’t always necessary, but a referral for an ongoing issue (like behavior) should include a brief message to the parent stating that you have referred their child to the school counselor. For ongoing counseling, serious concerns, or safety issues, I will contact parents/guardians. 

Keeping a student in the classroom even if they’re crying or upset can be beneficial for several reasons, provided it’s done with sensitivity and support rather than punishment.

1. Maintains a Sense of Safety and Belonging
   Staying in the classroom keeps the student in a familiar, structured environment where they can see that their place in the group is secure—even during hard moments. Leaving might make them feel “pushed out” or excluded.

1. Normalizes Big Emotions
   When handled calmly, it sends the message that feeling upset is a normal part of life and doesn’t automatically mean you’re removed from learning or community spaces.

2. Helps with Regulation
   Being around a calm, predictable setting can help a student co-regulate with the teacher and peers, rather than escalating emotions in isolation.

3. Preserves Instructional Time
   If the student is able to settle in the classroom, they’re less likely to miss important instruction and more likely to re-engage in learning sooner.

4. Builds Coping Skills
   It’s a chance to teach and model strategies for managing emotions in real-time (deep breathing, using a fidget, taking quiet space in the room) instead of escaping the situation.

5. Prevents Avoidance Patterns
   If leaving becomes the default response, students may learn—consciously or not—that emotional distress is a ticket out of class, which can make it harder for them to work through challenges in the future.

6. Supports Peer Empathy
   Other students see that it’s okay to have emotions and that their class community will support them without shaming or ostracizing them.

If the student is highly dysregulated or unsafe to themselves or others, of course, a counselor referral may be necessary—but for many situations, staying put with supportive scaffolding can build resilience!

🌟 Key Signs in the Classroom or Hallways

• Power imbalance: One student is always in control (bossing, intimidating, excluding).

• Repetition: The same child is targeted over and over, not just a one-time conflict.

• Intentional meanness: The behavior is on purpose — not an accident.

🚨 Warning Behaviors from Students Being Bullied

• Unexplained injuries, torn clothing, or missing belongings.

• Frequent stomachaches, headaches, or requests to go to the nurse.

• Avoiding recess, lunch, or certain routes around school.

• Withdrawing from peers, looking sad or anxious.

• Drop in grades or not wanting to come to school.

🚨 Warning Behaviors from Students Who Bully

• Frequently teasing, name-calling, or mocking others.

• Excluding classmates from groups or activities on purpose.

• Using physical aggression (pushing, tripping, hitting).

• Spreading rumors or whispering/laughing at peers.

• Seeming to “enjoy” having power over others.

Contact me or an administrator immediately. Safety always comes first. 

As the school counselor, I want to let you know that when a student experiences the death of a loved one, I only share that information with staff if the parent or guardian requests it. Families handle grief in different ways, and some prefer to keep this information private. My role is to honor the family’s wishes and support the student within those boundaries.

In North Carolina, a mandated reporter is any person or institution who has reasonable cause to suspect that a juvenile (under 18) is abused, neglected, or dependent, or has died as a result of maltreatment. This means they are legally required to report such suspicions to the local Department of Social Services (DSS). 

The more people a child has to share his/her story with, the more traumatic it is for the child. Being the first point of contact of information, therefore, makes it your responsibility to make a call if needed. Your school counselor and social worker are more than happy to sit with you and assist, so you don't have to do it alone!