Approach to School Counseling

I believe in knowing every single one of my students. Every year, I always make it a goal in knowing every single student's name within the first month of school. I also make sure I am visible at multiple times a day where they see me and can let me know when something is bothering them and they need to talk. This year, to make this even easier, I am adopting a new program that lets them request appointments electronically (parents as well!) so that they have more ways to let me know they need to talk. 

Every month, I will be doing 2 lessons in each elementary classroom. The goal of this is to broadly teach skills to every elementary student so that they are better prepped to handle the hurdles of school, such as conflicts, bullying, stress, and more. Under the "Counseling Lessons & Schedule" section of this website you will be able to see the lessons that will be provided throughout the year and when your student has these lessons each month.

It is often assumed that counseling and therapy are supposed to "fix" someone. However, this is not the view that I take with counseling. Rather, imagine a table that has one leg that's just a bit shorter than the rest leaving it uneven. Instead of viewing counseling as getting a brand new table leg, it's more akin to putting books and other materials under the leg to help it stand evenly with the rest. I try to teach skills and knowledge to help students handle the dilemmas they face so that they'll have those tools to stand on their own. I try to achieve this through a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach. Being in the school setting, I do not have the time to give weekly, 1-hr sessions with every student. That's why SFBT is a great approach for this environment. Solution-Focused means that I try not to focus on the problem, but rather the solution to the problem that the student is having. Of course, this does not work for every situation, so that's when I apply CBT practices to help the students understand the problems they are facing and give them strategies to manage those conflicts. 

Belief, Mission & Vision

Belief: I believe that all students are unique and deserve to have their voice heard and be treated with respect. I, as the school counselor, am uniquely positioned to be an advocate for students to make sure they can be heard and do my best to support them throughout their grade school career.

Mission: The mission of the School of Dreams Academy School Counseling Program is to provide a comprehensive counseling program to all elementary students that helps them develop social, academic, and career skills that they will be able to carry with them throughout life to help them succeed. It is also a goal of the program to build every student's confidence in themselves and help them discover who they are and how each of them can uniquely contribute to society and the world at large.

Vision: The vision of the School of Dreams Academy School Counseling Department is that all students will find academic success, find a career that brings them satisfaction and be well equipped with social emotional skills to thrive in all aspects of life and that they will be able to successfully navigate an ever-changing world.