About the Department

Our school offers counseling as an additional resource to help your student succeed in their academic goals, as well as support social and emotional growth throughout the school year. Our staff work in collaboration with the parents, teachers, administration to foster student growth and development.

Counseling activities can include individual or group counseling, whole class presentations, and observations. Many of these activities focus on helping students build social skills, improve self-esteem and motivation, and learn ways to deal with problems and conflicts constructively.

Counseling provided in a school setting is typically short-term in nature and focuses on solutions to help your child succeed in all areas of their development. Your student may be referred to counseling by a teacher, staff member, or by you as a parent/guardian.

A critical part of the counseling relationship is the establishment and maintenance of a trusting and confidential relationship between the counselor and the student.

Parents/guardians have the legal right to the information about their child. However, we hope that parents/guardians will honor the student privilege of confidentiality and know that the staff will always encourage a strong line of communication between the student and his/her parent(s)/guardians, teacher(s), and other stakeholders in the student’s life. The best interest of the student is the core focus of any interaction between staff and student.

All information shared during counseling sessions is confidential except when certain legal restrictions arise and confidentiality cannot be maintained. These cases include: (a) any form of child or elder abuse (neglect, emotional, physical, and/or sexual), (b) danger to one’s self (i.e., suicide, self-injurious behavior, eating disorder, drug or alcohol addiction, etc.), (c) danger to others (homicide, threat to injure someone, etc.), (d) court order.

Counseling is considered to be a regular educational service provided by the school. Parents/guardians have the right to refuse individual/group counseling services offered to their child. This may be done at any time through a written letter to administration.