COUNSELLING CORNER

Letter to Parents/Guardians: 2025-2026

My name is Beth Noel, and I am the School Counsellor at Bayview Community School. The role of the School Counsellor is to act as an advocate for students in support of their personal, social, career and educational needs. The focus of the School Counselling program is to assist students in their adjustment to school, and to help them with any emotional and/or personal challenges they may encounter.

Some of the topics I can support students with include: anger, friendship, problem solving, stress reduction, self-regulation, self-esteem, social thinking, changes, etc. Students may be seen individually, in small groups, or as a class, depending on needs. Parents/Guardians or school staff can refer students to see the School Counsellor, and students can also request this support themselves. Students under age 12 require parent/guardian consent to receive ongoing/regular School Counselling Services.

The School Counsellor will keep information shared by your child confidential. Please understand that this is done to respect the privacy and confidentiality of your child, and what they decide to share. It also helps build a safe and trusting relationship between the counsellor/child, which is critical to providing the best support/service possible. There are of course times it is truly in the best interests of the student for information to be shared with parents/guardians, and/or teachers. In such cases I would request the student’s consent to engage you in the process of change. Your support and involvement are important for your child’s success.

Please note the following exceptions to confidentiality:

● when disclosure is required to prevent clear and imminent danger to the client or others

● when legal requirements demand that confidential material be revealed.

● when a child is in need of protection

(taken from CCPA Code of Ethics)

You should be aware that counselling notes are kept electronically, in a school counselling record. When/If your child moves to another school within Nova Scotia, the counselling record will automatically transfer to that school. This is so that any future School Counsellors can better support your child, and provide continuity of care. Only the Counsellor(s) at the school where your child is attending will have access to their record, and only with your consent. If your child has worked with a school counsellor (other than myself) in the past, I will need your consent to access their previous counselling record.

As parents/guardians I am able to support you with things such as: helping your child succeed, understanding developmental changes of childhood and adolescence, sleep habits, discipline and behaviour strategies, self-regulation techniques for home, access to resources, referrals to school and outside services etc. I have a variety of parenting resources available for you to borrow. Online resources are available at https://sites.google.com/gnspes.ca/bethnoel/home as well. If your family is in need please reach out for support. The school has access to a variety of resources, and I can also help in connecting you to community organizations.

I encourage you to contact me at any time to discuss your child’s needs. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I encourage you to reach out at any time, and I look forward to supporting our students and their families.

Beth Noel, School Counsellor

Bayview Community School

902-624-2120/902-624-2126

bnoel@ssrce.ca

Website