Bridgette Ryans | Grades 6th, 7th, and 8th ( A thru L)
Lead Counselor
Beliefs
As School Counselors at West Briar Middle School, we will advocagte for all students. We believe......
- all students can be academically successful and productive members of society
- all students have the right to participate in our counseling program
- all students should feel valued, so theri academic and emotional readiness is nurtured
- all students can become ready to make impactful change on the world
- all students can learn to become self-advocates and resilient in facing life's challenges
Benefits of Counseling
Benefits for Students:
- Ensures every student receives the benefit of the School Counseling program by designing content curriculum for every student.
- Monitors data to facilitate student improvement.
- Provides strategies for closing the achievement gap because some students need more.
- Promotes a rigorous academic curriculum for every student.
- Ensures equitable access to educational opportunities.
- Fosters advocacy for students. • Supports development of skills to increase student success.
(Adapted from ASCA National Model, 2005) The School Counselor works directly with students in individual and group counseling sessions as well as in classroom lessons so students may: • Adjust to a new school.
- Be successful in school.
- Establish effective study skills.
- Develop positive feelings about work, family and society.
- Build positive feelings towards self and others.
- Develop skills in interacting and communicating with others.
- Cope with change in themselves and their surroundings.
- Identify and accept their own and others’ strengths and weaknesses.
- Recognize the causes and effects of their actions.
- Become responsible for their behavior.
- Receive crisis intervention when necessary.
The School Counselor helps students become motivated learners and encourages them to discuss concerns with their parents or guardians. When students work through their social and emotional issues with the help of their parents or guardians and the counselor, they are able to devote attention and energy to the intellectual tasks at school.
Benefits for Parents or Guardians
- Provides support in advocating for their children’s academic career and personal-social development.
- Supports partnerships in their children’s learning and career planning.
- Ensures academic planning for every student.
- Ensures access to school and community resources.
- Provides training and informational workshops.
- Connects to community and school based services.
- Provides data for continuous information on student progress.
- Ensures every student receives the content of the School Counseling curriculum. •
- Promotes a philosophy that some students need more and seeks to ensure they receive it.
(Adapted from ASCA National Model, 2005) The School Counselor works with parents or guardians through individual consultation, joint consultation with their children’s teachers, and parent or guardians discussion groups. In these ways the counselor assists parents to:
- Understand their children’s progress in school.
- Select strategies to motivate their children.
- Develop realistic goals with their children
- Become actively involved in their children’s school life.
- Understand the educational program K-12.
The Counselor may lead parent or guardian education and discussion groups and serve as a resource when parents study or discuss child-related issues. The Counselor consults with parents or guardians to identify students with special abilities and/or needs. In this capacity the counselor helps parents or guardians understand the services available from other school staff such as the school social worker (if applicable), school nurse, and resource teachers. The Counselor helps parents or guardians find other professionals within the school system or within the larger community when extra support is needed.
Benefits for the Community
The entire community benefits from the School Counseling program because:
- All students in the entire school system are served.
- A clearly defined curriculum provides information about the program to the community.
- Business, industry, and labor can participate actively in the program.
- A potential work force is provided with decision-making skills and pre-employment skills.
Benefits for Teachers:
- Promotes an interdisciplinary team approach to address student needs and educational goals.
- Increases collaboration with School Counselors and teachers.
- Supports development of classroom management skills.
- Provides a system for co-facilitation of classroom lessons.
- Supports the learning environment.
- Promotes teaming to increase student achievement.
- Analyzes data to improve school climate and student achievement.
Benefits for Administrators:
- Aligns the School Counseling program with the school’s academic mission.
- Provides a School Counseling program promoting student success.
- Monitors data for school improvement.
- Provides a system for managing a School Counseling program.
- Articulates a process for evaluating a School Counseling program.
- Uses data to jointly develop School Counseling goals and School Counselor responsibilities.
- Provides useful data for grant applications and funding sources.
- Provides a proactive School Counseling curriculum addressing the students’ needs and enhancing school climate.
(Adapted from ASCA National Model, 2005) The School Counselor is an integral part of the total school program. The Counselor observes children; consults with teachers, social workers (if applicable), and the school nurse; gathers and provides resources; conducts classroom lessons; collaborates on classroom interventions; conducts joint parent or guardian conferences; reviews and interprets school records; and serves on committees that plan for the individual needs of specific children. The school counselor helps teachers by:
- Consulting with them concerning students.
- Planning small group and classroom activities to meet specific needs of students.
- Gathering and sharing resources. • Observing students in the classroom or on the playground.
- Conferencing with parents or guardians. • Reviewing student records and discussing their implications with the teachers and/or parents.
- Coordinating staff efforts to work with individual students.
- Promoting a positive school climate.
- Explaining the academic program K-12.
- Assisting in crisis preparedness and management
