Interventions
Classroom Guidance
Small Group Counseling
Individual Counseling
Responsive Services
Classroom Guidance
The purpose of a comprehensive guidance curriculum is to ensure the engagement of each student in systemic, proactive and preventative learning opportunities intended to promote knowledge, attitudes, skills and development in personal/social, academic and career domains. The guidance curriculum of the Solon Community School District (SCSD) is closely aligned with the American School Counselor Association's The ASCA National Model: A Developmental Guide. The Counseling Committee reviewed these national and Iowa frameworks in developing standards and benchmarks best suited for the needs of the students, families and staff of the SCSD. The SCSD school counselors have also been developing priority standards for the 2020/2021 school year.
At Lakeview Elementary, students PK-3 receive classroom guidance lessons from the Second Step curriculum. Second Step is evidence and research based; it aims to improve the social-emotioanl learning (SEL) skills of students. We focus on the following units:
Skills for Learning
Empathy
Emotion Management
Problem-Solving
For more information about Second Step, click this link. I will attach weekly Home Links to the Lakeview Friday Bulletin.
Small Group Counseling
Small groups will be formed using evidence-based curriculum- such as Second Step and Coping Cat. Groups will vary throughout the year based on student and school need. Students will be selected for small groups based on the following sources: parent referrals, teacher referrals, DESSA results, and/or student self-referral.
Parent or guardian permission is required for participation. Small groups typically consist of a maximum of 8 students, and last about 6-8 weeks. Group sessions will occur during non-core academic time, such as lunch/recess.
Individual Counseling
I am available to meet with your student on an individual basis to discuss academic, social/emotional, or career-related needs. Individual counseling is meant to be short-term; school counseling is not the same as therapy. If a student requires more face-to-face contact and more intensive services, I will share referral resources with your family.
Counselors coordinate activities that help all students plan, monitor and manage personal learning as well as evaluate progress toward personal, academic, and career/occupational goals. This delivery component also includes orientation programs for students transferring to the school, for students entering pre-school or kindergarten, and for students transitioning within the school district.
Responsive Services
The responsive services component consists of services/activities to meet immediate student needs or concerns requiring counseling, consultation, referral, peer facilitation or information. This component is available to all students and is often student self-referral and can be parent/guardian or teacher initiated. While counselors have specialized training to respond to specific needs and concerns, collaborative approaches involving the student, parent/guardian and other educators are necessary for successful intervention.
School counseling is not intended nor has the capacity to provide therapeutic interventions. Referrals to other agencies can be made for individuals and/or families needing therapy services.
Confidentiality
Students and their parents entrust schools with their personal information with the expectation that this information will be used to serve the needs of students effectively and efficiently. This information is a vital resource in planning comprehensive education programs and designing individual education plans and providing responsive services. The school and parents share a common interest in ensuring that this information is kept confidential.
Confidentiality is the obligation to keep information and the contents of conversations private, unless there is a duty to inform others. Information shared with a school counselor is confidential, except in certain circumstances. A counselor protects the confidentiality of information received in the counseling relationship as specified by federal and state laws, written policies and applicable ethical standards. Such information is only to be revealed to others with the informed consent of the student, consistent with the counselor's ethical obligation.