Guidance

What is a School Counselor?

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.

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

  • 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 Shalimar.

  • My grandfather is really sick, and I am afraid of what might happen.

  • My dog just died, and I really miss him.

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

Counseling at Longwood ES

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.

Group Counseling

In small group counseling, the counselor meets with two or more students. In this setting, students work on shared tasks and develop supportive relationships. Through giving and receiving feedback, students have the opportunity to gain valuable skills in how to learn and live with others.

Lunch Bunch

Students meet once a week during their lunch to get a break from the larger lunch setting and discuss social, and emotional topics.

Guidance Topics

Social Skills

  • Building friendships

  • Sportsmanship

  • Problem-Solving

  • Cooperation

  • I-Messages

Feelings

  • Coping Strategies

  • Managing Stress/Anger

  • Identification of feelings

  • Interpreting feelings through verbal and non-verbal cues

Study / Test-Taking Skills

  • Learning Styles/Multiple Intelligence

  • Organization skills

  • Time management

  • Test anxiety

Family Changes

  • Divorce/separation

  • Grief/Loss

  • Deployment

  • Moving

  • Illness

  • New siblings

Resources

Helpful Links