Welcome to another year with Fort Bragg Unified School District. I am so excited to be entering my sixth year working as a school counselor. 

I always welcome requests from parents to have meetings with their children to address issues related to school. If you think your student would benefit from a check in please reach out. The following are the easiest ways to contact me:

Fill out this form (click me!) 

Send me an email is: emalsom@fbusd.us

Search for Erika Malsom on ParentSquare to send me a message

You may also contact the front office at: 961-2865 and they can set up an in person meeting or scheduled phone call with me.

At Dana Gray Elementary School I am involved in the following direct services to students:

• Individual counseling

  • The general rule for school counselors is to see a student about 3-4 times. If the student requires more assistance than this number of meetings I will need to refer the student to outside mental health.

• Small group counseling 

  • Small groups each have a topic and related skills and run for 6 weeks. 

  • Example small group topics are: anxiety, depression, social skills, friendship, leadership, and more. 

• Check In / Check Out (CICO)

  • CICO is for students who need behavior tracking. This intervention includes getting point scores from teachers each day and having parents sign off on their scores each night. Students are on CICO for 6-8 weeks while we really focus on changing their behavior. 

• Restorative Practices

  • Restorative circles are an important part of elementary school. If 2 or more students are having a conflict we all get together to talk it out and find a way to move forward. Since the main focus is on repairing the relationship between the students they do all need to agree to be part of the restorative circle. 

  • This intervention is mainly used with students who are friends and have a disagreement 

• Conflict Resolution

  • If we have conflict between students who are potentially not friends and don't have a relationship to repair then we move to conflict resolution in which the students will go over the conflict and then sign a contract for their behavior.

• Crisis Situations

  • If a student is experiencing suicidal ideation or actions I will help connect that student to necessary supports in the community in collaboration with family. I will also help the family get support in the form of long term therapy by referring the student to local mental health agencies. 

Please see the flyers below for more information on school counselors role and responsibilities within the school system. 

Erika Malsom