How Can the School Counselor Help Me?
In the Counselor's office we can:
Talk about and explore student concerns (personal, social, academic)
Calm down and plan ways to solve a problem
Work in groups with other students
Discuss study habits & learn study skills
Explore career / college options
Make future plans
How can students request to talk to the counselor?
Students can request to talk to the school counselor through their parents, teachers, filling out a self-referral form, or by asking me directly.
Do you get parent permission before talking to students?
I am a resource for all students. If I meet with a student just a handful of times, I usually inform the parent only if there is an issue that the parent needs to be informed of (discussed in next column)/involved in or if a referral needs to be made.If I am going to meet with a student on a regular basis (more than 3-4 times), I will call to get parent permission to work with the student. I also ask for permission to include any child in a group.
Do you tell parents what students talk to you about?
An important part of the counselor/student relationship is trust. One of the ways counselors build trust with students is through confidentiality ("What is said in Mrs. Menz's office, stays in Mrs. Menz's office").
I share with students that I will always try to keep information shared confidential,
but there are times when the I need to share the information with other adults.
These situations include:
1.) If someone is hurting the student
2. )If the student wants to hurt someone else
3.) If the student wants to hurt themselves
3.) If we decide together that it is important to share the information with another trusted adult
I do let students know that often problem solving is collaborative, meaning that the more people we have working together- the better things can be, so there will be many times when we want to include teachers and parents in our work together.