What do elementary school counselors do?
- School counselors serve all the students at a school and help them be their best
- Facilitating classroom "Life Skills" lessons aligned with state standards in each classroom
- Organizing school-wide service projects and special events as applications of our character education program
- Consulting with parents, teachers, and administrators
- Providing materials to teachers and parents on topics related to the guidance and counseling standards when needed
- Connecting families with school and community resources
- Talking with students who have a problem they'd like help solving or have something on their mind they'd like to talk about
- Visiting with students who could use care and support from an extra adult
- Counseling students in small groups built around shared needs like divorce/changing families, grief, anger management, etc.
- Counseling students individually
- Teaching social skills and coping skills
- Emotional awareness and coping skills
- Conflict resolution
- Friendship/social skills
- Self-esteem
- Goal-setting
- Decision-making
- Character education (respect, responsibility, kindness, trustworthiness, etc.)
- Personal safety
- Behavior, choices and consequences, & responsibility
- Career awareness and preparedness
- Academic skills and achievement
- Appreciating individual differences
- Draw pictures, play games, play with puppets or toys, work on projects
- Talk about little things, big things, or anything in between
- Build a positive relationship and connection at school
- Develop problem-solving abilities
- Teach coping strategies, social skills, study skills, etc.
- Build self-esteem and confidence
- Help children cope with difficult and/or unchangeable life events
- Help children recognize and make use of their potential
- Give children a neutral, open place to share their concerns and feelings
- Give children the opportunity to connect with other students having similar experiences