School Counseling Services/FAQ

School Counselors provide preventive and intervention services, which are integrated into all aspects of children’s lives. Counselors provide appropriate tools for communicating, making decisions, and developing friendships and coping skills, and provide services by facilitating small group counseling, providing immediate short-term counseling when needed, and providing support during a personal crisis. In addition, counselors work collaboratively with teachers and parents to help their students succeed in academic, career, personal and social development, and provide referrals for community resources.

Students can see their School Counselor via self-referral, parent/guardian request, request of the counselor, administrative referral, and/or teacher or staff referral.

Parents are invited to contact the school counselor at any time via phone or email regarding their child. We can discuss your concerns over the phone or you can come in to meet with your child’s counselor. Parents can call or email the School Counselor to set-up a conference.

The role of a school counselor is to assist children during their school day. This may include issues with friends, test anxiety, social issues, and problems at home that are affecting their school day. When there are difficulties at home (i.e. divorce, death of a loved one) that are not affecting the child at school or are affecting the child greatly at school, there are times when outside, private counseling may be necessary. If you decide private counseling is necessary for your family, your counselor can provide information about community-based mental health services.

The school counselor can collaborate with the outside service providers if needed. There is a form that the school counselor might give you titled, Permission to Communicate/Release of Reports & Records, which will allow communication between providers.

Confidentiality is an important aspect of counseling; this is how the counselor builds trust with the student. What the child says during counseling is to remain between the counselor and the child unless: 1. The child is in imminent danger. 2. The child is threatening to harm him/herself or someone else. 3. The child reports an incident of abuse and/or neglect. 4. The child gives permission to disclose. When a breach in confidentiality is necessary, I would make a report to the appropriate agencies, support staff and/or parents depending on the situation. Note: School counselors and other school staff members are mandated reporters. Mandated reporters are required by law to report to CPS any time a student is suspected of being in danger.

The counselor is available 7:55-2:50 Monday- Friday and during extra help hours (please refer to the MS extra help schedule). You can reach them by phone, email, or meet with him/ her in person.

Students may be referred to the school counselor if there are concerns that are inhibiting their learning here at school. Some concerns, but not limited to are: Behavioral, social/ emotional, and academic concerns.

Parents are notified at the discretion of the counselor. If a counselor will be seeing a student on an on-going basis, the counselor will notify the parent and seek parental consent for school counseling.

If your child meets with their counselor, it does not mean your child is in trouble or “bad.” In fact, a counselor is an adult who acts as your child’s advocate! An advocate is someone who wants to listen to what you have to say and help you come up with reasonable solutions to making your situation better. It does not mean that your counselor can solve the problem for you; it does mean that you have a safe place that you can go to when you are not sure what to do.