Point Elementary

What does your school counselor do?

Point Elementary School has one counselor that works hard for all of the student's socioemotional/behavioral wellbeing. However, I often get asked all the time what a counselor at an elementary school does. Therefore, I wanted to break it down for you to see what all it encompasses.

Overview of the School Counseling Program

• The School Counseling Program is comprehensive in nature, striving to provide education for ALL students in three areas: academic, personal/social, and career.
• The School Counseling Program is proactive and preventative – helping students develop critical skills to achieve academic, social, and behavioral success.
• The School Counseling Program provides classroom lessons, student planning, response services, and system support.

Classroom Lessons

• On a regular basis, your School Counselors provide education to ALL students in the classroom setting. This provides consistent learning, language, and skill development. It allows me to get to know all students in our grade levels.
• Lessons often cover these topics: emotions, coping skills, communication skills, friendships, conflict resolution, teamwork, diversity, tolerance, problem-solving, self-esteem, respect, responsibility, personal safety, healthy choices, strengths, career interests, and community building.

Student Planning

• Your School Counselors work with students to evaluate students’ abilities, interests, skills, and achievement. We do this by coordinating standardized testing, helping to develop 504 accommodation plans and behavioral plans, and observing the outcomes of such plans.

Response Services

• Consultation: As your School Counselors, we consult with teachers, administrators, support staff, special education staff, school psychologists, social workers, parents/guardians, community agencies, and medical professionals regarding strategies to help students and families. We serve as a student advocate in all consultation situations.
• Individual and Small Group Counseling: Your School Counselors provide counseling for students expressing difficulties dealing with relationships, personal concerns, and developmental tasks.
  • Counseling is intended to be short-term to help students identify problems, causes, coping skills, and develop goals to take appropriate action.
  • We do NOT provide clinical counseling services.
• Crisis Counseling: Your School Counselors provide prevention, intervention, and follow-up.
  • We provide counseling to students and families facing emergency situations.
• Referral: As your School Counselors, we use referral sources to deal with suicidal ideation, violence, abuse, mental health issues, and family difficulties.
  • Referral sources can be to mental health agencies, social and community services.

System Support

• Professional Development: As your School Counselor, we are involved in updating and sharing my professional knowledge and skills through in-service training and staff meetings.
• Collaboration on Teams: We are a contributing member to many groups and teams, such as:
  • SMART team and student support teams
  • IEP and 504 teams
  • Whole school initiatives like RTI and PBIS
  • Crisis Management
• Program Management: We collect and analyze data to evaluate and improve the School Counseling Program. This includes planning and management tasks needed to support activities conducted by the program, such as:
  • Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiatives
  • CAPP’s (Child Abuse Prevention Program) Safe Touch/Safe Surf Program through Jewish Family and Children’s Services
  • NCADA’s (National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse) Anti-Bullying Program
  • Committee for Children’s Second Step-Anti-Violence Curriculum

Confidentiality

• As your School Counselor, we develop confidential relationships with students. This means that information gathered through meetings with students and parents/guardians will be shared on a “need-to-know” basis only.
• We work to maintain the privacy of students and their families. When information needs to be shared, we will assess who needs to know and what information needs to be known to best help students and their families.

Referral for Counseling Services

• As your School Counselors, we prioritize the needs of students based on referrals from:
  • Teachers, administrators, support staff
  • Parents/Guardians
  • Students (self-referral)
• If you would like to refer a child to the school counselors, please email your child’s counselor and explain the reasons for that referral.
  • Ms. Alyssa Busche: [email protected] 
    • Counselor for Grades K-5

The School Counseling Program is aligned to the standards set forth by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model.