Guidance

School Guidance Counselor- Sharen Burt

Email:sharen.burt@okaloosaschools.com
Phone: (850) 833-4360

Counselor's Corner Newsletter Fall Edition

Destin Elementary School strives to provide a comprehensive guidance program

Academic support, including organizational, study, and test-taking skills, goal setting, and decision-making
Bullying prevention and awareness
Career awareness, exploration, and planning
Character Education
Communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution
Education on understanding self and others, including peer relationships, coping strategies, and effective social skills
Multicultural/diversity awareness

Online Learning and Social-Emotional Supports

Positive Parenting & COVID-19: 10 TIPS to keep the CALM at HOME
National Association of School Psychologists: Talking to Children About COVID-19
American Academy of Pediatrics: Understanding Childhood Fears and Anxieties
Ascension Online Care 24/7, no insurance needed
Children Learn/Practice Social-Emotional Skills FREE
Smiling Mind APP FREE is a unique tool developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to a parent and student's life. (https://www.smilingmind.com.au/thrive-inside)

Guidance Responsive Services

Conflict resolution
Consultation/collaboration with administration, faculty and parents
Individual/family/school crisis intervention
Individual and small-group counseling
Referrals to other school and community resources

About School Counselors

Serves as a resource to students, staff, and families in the school community.
Meets with students individually, in small groups, and for whole class lessons.
Acts as a key member of the Response to Intervention Team (RTI, MTSS).
Provides assistance in crisis situations.
Helps coordinate testing.
Supports students in three domains of school counseling: (1) Personal/social, (2) Academic, and (3) Career development.

Individual Counseling

There are many ways that students can come and see me! Students can request to see me on their own. The request can also be made by the student’s teacher or parents.

Individual counseling can allow students to understand themselves better, develop decision-making and conflict resolution skills, cope with family changes, work on anger/stress management techniques, and practice problem-solving strategies.

Examples of when students might come to see the school counselor are:

I have been getting into a lot of fights with my best friend, and I don’t know what to do.
I have been worrying a lot lately.
Some of the people I’m friends with don’t seem to get along together.
My parents might be getting a divorce, and I’m scared about what might happen.
We are about to have a new baby in our family, and I’m not sure I’m happy about it.
My parents are in the Military and we just moved to Destin.
My grandfather is really sick, and I am afraid of what might happen.
My dog just died, and I really miss him.

Developmental Guidance Topics

Social Skills: