Mr. Dillon's School Counseling Website

How can the School Counselor help?

This form is intended to present information to staff and parents about what the School Counseling Program provides to help assist in meeting student needs. This form is by no means comprehensive of every service provided.

Overview of the School Counseling Program

• The School Counseling Program is comprehensive in nature, striving to provide education for ALL students in three areas: academic, personal/social, and career.

• The School Counseling Program is proactive and preventative – helping students develop critical skills to achieve academic, social, and behavioral success.

• The School Counseling Program provides classroom lessons, student planning, responsive services, and system support.

• At Dassa McKinney Elementary School we utilize the PATHS and EMOZI curriculum for Social Emotional Learning. PATHS is used in grade K-5 with EMOZI being geared towards the middle level learners in 6th grade. 

Student Planning

• Your School Counselor works with students to evaluate students’ abilities, interests, skills, and achievement. I do this by collecting data based parent, teacher and student input, thus helping to develop interventions such as 504 accommodation plans and behavioral plans, while continuing to observe the outcomes of such plans.

Responsive Services

Consultation: As your School Counselor, I consult with teachers, administrators, support staff, special education staff, school psychologists, social workers, parents/guardians, community agencies, and medical professionals regarding strategies to help students and families. I serve as a student advocate in all consultation situations.

Individual and Small Group Counseling: your School Counselor provides counseling for students expressing difficulties dealing with relationships, personal concerns, and developmental tasks.

• Counseling is intended to be short-term to help students identify problems, causes, coping skills, and develop goals to take appropriate action.

• I do NOT provide clinical counseling services.

Crisis Counseling: your School Counselor provides prevention, intervention, and follow-up.

• I provide counseling to students and families facing emergency situations.

• I serve as a leader in our district’s crisis team process.

Referral: as your School Counselor, I use referral sources to deal with suicidal ideation, violence, abuse, mental health issues, homelessness, and family difficulties.

• Referral sources can be to mental health agencies, Butler County Human Services, Center for Community Resources (CCR), or other social and community services.

• I refer to Butler County Children and Youth Services for suspicion of child abuse and neglect cases.

Peer Facilitation: your School Counselor may train students as mediators or mentors.

System Support

Professional Development: as your School Counselor, I am involved in updating and sharing my professional knowledge and skills through in-service training and staff meetings.

Collaboration on Teams: I am a contributing member to many groups and teams, such as:

• MTSS/ Student Support Team

• IEP and 504 teams

• Safety Planning Team

• Whole school initiatives like RTI, and PBIS

• District committees

• SAP Team

Program Management: I collect and analyze data to evaluate and improve the School Counseling Program. This includes planning and management tasks needed to support activities conducted by the program, such as:

• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiatives

• Red Ribbon Week (drug education/prevention and healthy choices)

• Child safety and sexual abuse prevention program

• Bullying prevention program

• School Assessment Coordinator for both state and local assessments

Confidentiality

• As your School Counselor, I develop confidential relationships with students. This means that information gathered through meetings with students and parents/guardians will be shared on a “need-to-know” basis only.

• I work to maintain the privacy of students and their families. When information needs to be shared, I will assess who needs to know and what information needs to be known to best help students and their families.

Referral for Counseling Services

• As your School Counselor, I prioritize the needs of students based on referrals from:

• Teachers, administrators, support staff

• MTSS, PBIS and SPED committees

• Parents/Guardians

• Students (self-referral)

Elementary School Students’ Developmental Needs

The elementary years are a time when students begin to develop their academic self-concept and their feelings of competence and confidence as learners. They are beginning to develop decision-making, communication and life skills, as well as character values. It is also a time when students develop and acquire attitudes toward school, self, peers, social groups and family. Comprehensive developmental school counseling programs provide education, prevention and intervention services, which are integrated into all aspects of children’s lives. Early identification and intervention of children’s academic and social/emotional needs is essential in removing barriers to learning and in promoting academic achievement. The knowledge, attitudes and skills students acquire in the areas of academic, career and social development during these elementary years serve as the foundation for future success.

Meeting the Challenge

Elementary school counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today’s diverse student population. Elementary school counselors don’t work in isolation; rather they are integral to the total educational program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help students achieve school success. School counselors align with the school’s mission to support the academic achievement of all students as they prepare for the ever-changing world of the 21st century. This mission is accomplished through the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive, developmental and systematic school counseling program. ASCA’s Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success are the foundation for this work. The ASCA National Model: A Framework For School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2002), with its data-driven and results-based focus, serves as a guide for today’s school counselor who is uniquely trained to implement this program.