Counselor

What is an elementary school counselor?

• A certified, specially trained professional educator
• A special friend when a child needs someone to listen
• A caring person who provides help and guidance to teachers, parents, students, and administrators
• Someone who counsels with students both individually and in groups

What does an elementary school counselor do?

• Conducts a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate guidance and counseling program
• Conducts staff development for faculty
• Utilizes referral services and community resources
• Conducts parent and teacher conferences
• Provides guidance lessons to each class, works with identified groups of children with specific needs, and provides individual counseling to students struggling with academic difficulty
• Provides individual counseling to
  • help students develop effective communication skills
  • help students develop positive interpersonal relationship skills
  • help students set positive goals, exercise responsibility and improve academic success
  • help provide support during a crisis

A child may see the counselor for:

• Review and discussion of academic need
• Any problems that they may have that are impacting academic performance
• Divorce or changing family issues
• A loss of a family member or close friend
• Decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Improvement and aid in the development of positive self-esteem
• Family concerns or fears
• Developing and increasing social and organizational skills as it relates to academic performance