GUIDANCE & COUNSELING
During their formative years, students experience rapid physical and emotional growth and an emerging self-identity. School counselors help students navigate the challenges of these years by helping them to gain important personal and interpersonal skills; become confident, independent learners and address obstacles to their success both inside and outside of the classroom.
COUNSELING BELIEFS
St. Mary’s Counseling program believes that:
- All students can achieve, meet high standards and become successful lifelong learners.
- All students have the right to a safe, supportive, and nondiscriminatory learning environment.
- The school counseling program is essential to meeting students’ social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development needs.
- The school counselor must act as a collaborator and advocate for opportunities for self-development of all students.
- Evidence-based practice is essential to a successful school counseling program.
- School counselors should be guided by the ethical guidelines of the ASCA set forth in Vietnamese law.
COUNSELING MISSION
St. Mary’s counseling program mission is to provide high-quality counseling services to all students. We strive to help students develop holistically in a multicultural environment. Our collaboration with educators and parents/guardians helps us support students on their pathway to become well-rounded, successful and confident in their own unique identities.
COUNSELING VISION
St. Mary’s International School counseling team envisions a school environment in which all students achieve their full potential. Where students become healthy, responsible, confident global citizens who treat others with kindness and respect.
SERVICES WE PROVIDE
At St. Mary's, our counseling office strives to help students develop holistically in a multicultural learning environment through interactive classroom guidance lessons, the promotion of community-wide school values and student responsive services.
Interactive Guidance Lessons
As part of our curriculum at St. Mary's, students are engaged in regular classroom lessons on social-emotional and academic skills. Topics explored include:
- Kindness and Empathy
- Personal safety
- Emotional Regulation
- Responsibility and Honesty
- Mindfulness
- Goal Setting
- Time Management and Organization
- Diversity
...and more!
Student Responsive Services
Our counselor is available to meet with students for individual and small group counseling to assist with a variety of concerns and problems that affect their well-being or their performance in school. Issues addressed, include, but are not limited to:
- Grief or Loss
- Personal safety
- Suicide and self-harm
- Emotional regulation
- Peer relationships
...and other social/emotional, academic and wellbeing related issues.
Our school counselor is available by appointment or as needed on an emergency basis. Students may request an appointment through their parents or teachers or can be referred to counseling by parents or teachers.