What is the Counseling Corner?
This is your go-to spot for tips, tools, and activities to help you do your best in middle school. Here you’ll find fun lessons, easy techniques for handling stress, and resources to help you with friends, schoolwork, and everyday challenges. The Counseling Corner is all about helping you feel confident, supported, and ready to succeed!
Past Counseling Lessons
MCPS Signs of Suicide (SOS) Program
MCPS is committed to sharing information and resources about mental health topics that impact our students.
Silver Spring International Middle School Counselors will be presenting lessons to address the issue of mental health and suicide prevention proactively. Counselors and mental health staff will attend PE and Health classes on March 17, 24, and 26.
They will use the Signs of Suicide Prevention Program.
Below you will find additional resources for students and families. Please contact your child's school counselor if you have any questions.
SOS Resources
Personal Body Safety
These lessons were developed with input from national stakeholders and County partners, and are designed to empower students to recognize and report suspected cases of abuse without fear of reprisal. The Chief of the State’s Attorney’s Office—Special Victims Division has commended MCPS on the PBSLs and shared publicly that these lessons are making a difference in children reporting incidents of abuse and neglect. In addition, embedded in the MCPS elementary and secondary health curriculum are age-appropriate lessons on safety and injury prevention, family life and human sexuality, cyberbullying and social media, healthy relationships, harassment and intimidation.
Conflict Resolution With Peers & Bullying Prevention
Conflict Resolution
Your counselor can help you work through the issues with friends and adults.
Here are guiding questions your counselor will use
Bullying Prevention
Montgomery County Public Schools is strongly committed to providing an equitable, positive, and respectful school culture where all students can safely learn in an environment that encourages academic and social success. Any behavior that creates a hostile school environment, disrupts learning and school activities, or negatively interferes with a student's academic, psychological, social or physical well-being will not be tolerated.
Mindfulness Activities
An MCPS initiative to ensure all students develop the necessary skills to manage their emotions, build academic/ social resilience, and more!
Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of where we are and what we are doing and not be overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is happening around us.
Read more about mindfulness benefits and how to practice it daily from positive psychology.
Mindful coloring allows you to be present and aware of what's going on around you and your feelings.
MCPS Mindfulness resources for staff, parents, and community members.
These videos will guide you on breathing techniques recorded by BCMS Mindfulness Coordinator Ms. Norwood and MCPS Mindful Moments.
Puzzles help to decrease stress and feelings of anxiety and heighten mental awareness.
Mindful music helps to keep you aware, calm, and relaxed before and after school.
This is a relaxation technique that helps bring awareness to the body and reduces stress in the body.
The free MCPS Stronger Student mobile app is now available via the Apple and Google Play stores. The project was led by students who designed, built, and held focus groups for the app. For secondary students, the app provides access to crisis support resources or other mental and physical health/wellness needs, including reporting incidents of discrimination. It is anonymous and confidential.
Users can access:
Emergency and crisis contact information.
Mental and physical health resources.
Tools to file confidential reports about bullying, harassment, and/or hate bias with MCPS.
Information concerning student rights within MCPS.
The app is available in English and Spanish; other languages are coming soon.
Download via mobile device:
MCPS Stronger Student Flyers (in multiple languages)
English / español / 中文 / français / Português / 한국어 / tiếng Việt / አማርኛ
