Letter from the Guidance Office!

Greetings from your School Counselors, Mrs. Banan & Mrs. Shehadah!

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new and returning families and briefly introduce ourselves and the counseling services we offer.

Mrs. Banan has had the privilege of providing counseling support and services to Universal School’s K-12 student body for over ten years. Students experiencing social, emotional, behavioral, or spiritual challenges interfering with their schoolwork or impacting peer and family relationships are referred to counseling. Confidential referrals can come from students, teachers, parents, administrators, friends, or any person concerned about a student’s wellbeing. The goal of school counseling is to support and advocate for ALL students to achieve academic success, enabling them to develop into independent young Muslim Americans.

Mrs. Banan joined Universal School in 2011. She completed her Bachelors of Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Masters in Education in Youth Development also from UIC. She completed her second Masters in Counseling Psychology and is licensed in the State of Illinois to practice Clinical Professional Counseling, LCPC. Mrs. Said has and continues to be involved as a member volunteer of various organizations and initiatives focused on serving American Muslim youth and their families.

It is with pleasure we also welcome Mrs. Minar Shehadah, a fellow alumni and Universal parent, to our staff this year. Minar is joining us for the role of Professional Counselor. She is licensed in the State of Illinois as a Professional Counselor, LPC, completing her Bachelors in Clinical Mental Health from Saint Xavier University and her Masters in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Christian College. Minar comes from a diverse background in counseling, serving as a counselor at Arab American Family Services, AAFS. There, Minar worked with DCFS referrals conducting mental health counseling to clients. She also held counseling groups for children and psychoeducation sessions for parents. Minar was appointed as a representative for the Trauma-Informed Congregations Network, TICN, where she participated on the planning team, collaborating with community members of different backgrounds to educate and connect the community on issues of faith, trauma, and restorative justice. Recently, she has been appointed to serve as a member of Trinity's Advisory Council for counseling programs.

Parents and students are welcome and encouraged to connect with us face-to-face in our office, e-mail at bsaid@universalschool.org or mshehadah@universalschool.org, or phone at (708) 599-4100 Ext. 320.

We look forward to working with students, staff, and families of our Universal School community. May Allah SWT make this a safe and blessed school year.

--

Banan Said

Universal School Counselor

MEd Youth Development

MA Counseling Psychology, LCPC, NCC

bsaid@universalschool.org 

(708) 599-4100 Ext 320 remind.com/join/msbanan123