What is School Counseling?
School counseling is the process of helping students by assisting them in making decisions and changing behavior. School counseling is designed to be a preventative activity or intervention which meets the immediate needs and concerns of students. It addresses academic, personal/social, and/or career concerns and can take one of two forms:
- Classroom Lessons
- Small Group Counseling
- Individual Counseling
Classroom Lessons
Small Group Counseling
Group counseling assists students in addressing common needs and concerns. Students in group counseling identify problems, causes, alternatives, and possible outcomes so that appropriate action can be taken.
Areas of group concern are similar to individual counseling topics and may include, but are not limited to:
- Social Skills
- Relationship Issues
- Academic Achievement
- Attendance Concerns
- Behavior Management
- Transitions
Typically, small groups include 3-5 students who meet approximately one time per week with me for 20-30 minutes per meeting. Small groups tend to be "data-driven" based on the needs of particular students in the district as identified through data analysis.
Individual Counseling
Individual counseling is provided for students expressing difficulties dealing with relationships, personal concerns, or normal developmental tasks. It assists students in identifying problems, causes, and possible consequences so that appropriate action is taken.
Areas that may be addressed in individual counseling include, but are not limited to:
- Problem-Solving Strategies
- Interpersonal Relationships
- Educational Planning
- Career Exploration
- Conflict Resolution
- Anger Management
- Crisis Intervention
Typically, individual counseling sessions involve one student meeting one-on-one with me. The number of times that we meet varies on the nature of the issue. Sometimes, one meeting is all that is needed. Other times, 2-8 meetings are needed. I try to limit the number of times that I meet with students about a particular issue to 8 meetings, because my role is not one of a therapist.
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