School Counselor FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's):

• What services does the counselor provide?
  Elementary 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. Counselors provide services by developing and delivering classroom presentations that teach skills for achieving success, facilitating small group counseling, providing immediate short-term counseling when needed, and providing support during personal crisis. In addition, counselors work collaboratively with parents to connect them to community resources if needed and to help their student succeed in their academic, career, personal and social development.

• How does my student get referred to the counselor?
  Students can see their Elementary School Counselor via self-referral, parental request, request of the counselor, administrative referral, and/or teacher or staff referral.  

• For how long does the school counselor see the student?                                                                           Sessions may be held on a regular, ongoing basis or simply as needed. The counselor's priority is for the student to succeed here at school and to do so the student must be in his/her classroom as much as possible. Therefore, the counselor will not remove the student from his/her class for longer than 30 minutes weekly unless crisis management is needed.

• How do I get referred for outside services?
  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. There are times when outisde, private counseling may be necessary, such as when there are difficulties at home (i.e. divorce, death of a loved one, deployment, mental health concerns, etc.) that are either not affecting the child at school or could benefit from ongoing and consistent professional therapeutic support. If you decide private counseling is necessary for your family, the counselor can provide information regarding  a referral to Care Solace whom will assist in matched your student with an outside therapeutic provider. Ask your counselor for more information if you are interested in counseling outside of school. 

• What are the parameters around confidentiality?
  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, the counselor would make a report to the appropriate agencies, support staff and/or parents depending on the situation. Note: Our highest priority is keeping your student safe. 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.

• How can I get ahold of the counselor?
  The counselor is available Monday-Friday from 8:00am-4:00pm and can be reached by phone, email, or in person. If you would like a meeting, please contact the counselor ahead of time to make an appointment. The counselor schedule is not always open to immediate walk-in meetings, however parental involvement is a priority for us and the counselor will always try to schedule a requested meeting as soon as possible. 

• Why would the counselor see my child?                                                                                                         Students may be referred to the school counselor if there are concerns that are inhibiting their learning here at school. Some concerns may be, but not limited to: behavioral difficulties, social/emotional concerns, conflict with peers, attendance concerns and academic concerns.

• Will the counselor notify me if they spoke to my child?                                                                                  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 then notify the parent and seek parental consent for school counseling services prior to initiating services. In addition, the counselor will always notify the parent for any level of crisis intervention. 

• What topics do you cover in small groups?
  Small group topics are determined based on the needs of the students through referrals. 

• Is my student in trouble if they see the School Counselor?
  When your student speaks to the Counselor, it does not mean they are in trouble. In fact, a counselor is an adult who acts as an advocate for your student!  Their role is to listen to what your student has to say and help them come up with reasonable and functional solutions to move forward.