Elementary Counselors
What does a counselor do?
School counselors perform the following roles in order to promote positive development in academic, career, and personal/social domains:
- Individual counseling
- Small group counseling
- Classroom guidance (i.e. Large group counseling)
- Attend and participate in academic intervention meetings
- Organize and administer building testing
- Observe students in various school environments
- Consult and collaborate with parents, teachers, administrators, social workers, and students
- Respond to school crises or emergency situations
- Provide information and resources to parents on a variety of issues
How can a student see the counselor?
- Student self-referral
- Staff referral
- Parent referral
Confidentiality
The general rules of confidentiality for counselors are very different from those of teachers. Confidentiality is important to maintain a trusting relationship with students.
Students are told that what they tell their counselor will stay in her office unless one of the three things occur:
- Someone is hurting you.
- You want to hurt someone.
- You want to hurt yourself.
Only then will the counselor tell someone to make sure they are safe and healthy. Information is never disclosed to other staff members, parents, or students unless permission is granted. If a student discloses information deemed crucial to a child's safety or well-being, the student is informed that his/her parents must be notified. The exception to the general rules is if information is court-mandated.
Reading Elementary School Counselors
Amber Stinson - Grades Pk-4 [email protected]
Jennifer Leone - Grades 5-6 [email protected]