School  Counseling Department

School Counseling Program is a comprehensive and collaborative approach that includes students, families and professional staff.

School Counseling is designed to facilitate each student’s educational, career, and social and personal development.

School Counselors strive to identify and reduce the effects of environmental and institutional barriers that impede students’ academic success.

School Counseling services are developmental in nature and are recognized as an integral part of the total educational program.

 

THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR

  • School counselors are actively committed to helping students explore their abilities, strengths, interests and talents as these traits relate to career awareness and development.
  • School counselors help parents focus on ways to further the education, personal and social growth of students.  
  • School counselors work with teachers and other educators to help students explore their potential and set realistic goals for themselves.
  • Comprehensive school counseling programs are considered an integral part of the educational process that enables all students to achieve success in school.

 

Academic Goals

  1. To help students understand themselves as learners and encourage them to develop skills that will enable them to reach their academic potential.
  2. To utilize a variety of measures to assess student academic performance.
  3. To identify factors that impact learning and determine a course of action to provide appropriate support.

 

Career Goals

  1. To help students choose and advance in a program that will enable them to reach their future academic and career goals.
  2. To provide students with the opportunity to assess personal interests and aptitudes in relation to career interest.

 

Personal

  1. To assist students to develop positive interpersonal relationship skills involving respect for diversity and cultural competence.
  2. To assist students to be aware of one’s beliefs and interests and to develop a positive self-image.
  3. To assist students in developing resiliency and effective coping skills.
  4. School counselors work toward these goals for students through classroom based or large group sessions and small support groups for students on a variety of topics such as “changing families”, grief and loss, friendship/social skills, healthy lifestyles and self-esteem. Counselors may also work individually with students to assist them in solving problems and coping with situations that may be affecting school performance. Counselors may also meet with students with special needs to provide services related to individualized student goals.