A poster outside a guidance office in one of Roxbury Township’s elementary schools states, “Counselors help children grow.” Children may enter the guidance office for various reasons and meet with one of the four school counselors who work in the six elementary schools. A child may be learning skills to compensate or having ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Tourette’s Syndrome, or anxieties and phobias. Support is provided for personal issues such as adoption, family illness, foster care, and parental separation or divorce. Counselors also teach social skills through programs on anger and stress management, conflict resolutions, problem solving and peer relations.
“Ninety-five percent of my day is spent interacting with children individually, in small groups, or in the classroom,” summarized June Greenbaum, School Counselor at Jefferson and Kennedy Schools. The counseling program includes small group sessions which can run at various intervals throughout the year. These include Changing Family Groups, Newcomers’ Clubs, Friendship Groups, Study Skills Groups, and Social Skills Groups.
“The kindergarten children many not recall my name, but they remember me as the feelings lady,” says Carol Pellet, School Counselor at Franklin and Nixon Schools. The children in many of the kindergarten through fourth grade classes see the counselor in their classrooms on a regular basis. The counselors deliver a curriculum which helps the children to identify their feelings and those of others, to improve their friendship skills, and to further develop their social problem solving skills.
At Lincoln Roosevelt School, two counselors, Roxie Benbow and Gina LaCapra, also at Nixon School, present various programs to the fifth and sixth grade students. Some of these programs include lessons on career development and dealing with bullying, LAP RAP (Learning About People, Relationships, and Possibilities), TEACH, (Telling Everyone About Change Honestly), and Lunch Bunch. “Students and I just love Lunch Bunch,” explains Gina LaCapra. “It is an informal and voluntary lunch meeting between several students and the school counselor. It is a terrific way for students to get to know their counselor. This familiarity makes it easy for them to approach the counselor for assistance if needed.”
Increasing academic success is the main objective of any counseling program. When children’s personal, social, and emotional needs are addressed, they can be more effective learners. Student academic support is offered through programs such as overcoming test anxiety, study skills, organizational skills, time management, and transitional services between grade levels and/or schools.
Other counselors responsibilities include serving on PAC (Pupil Assistance Committee), I & RS (Intervention and Referral Services Committee), providing support to teachers and staff, consulting with parents and outside resources, and implementing school-wide programs such as Red Ribbon Week and Acts of Kindness. As school counselors we work hard to establish a strong relationships between parents, students and teachers. Through our proactive approach to programming we hope to raise awareness of issues that are challenging to our youth and support them in their personal and academic development.