Counseling Philosophy

Counseling in our room is rooted in a solution-focused, strengths based approach. We believe that every school client, student or teacher, has the ability to shift their perspective and find the solution for themselves. We try to not give advice, but instead give students the opportunity to challenge themselves, grow as thinkers, take perspectives, and set positive future oriented goals. A few common questions that guide conversations with students might sound like this: "How do you want things to be? What would that look like for you? What difference would that make for you? and When have you done this before?". We have learned that this solution focused approach can be impactful for any problem a school client is facing. Our goal is to support students in discovering how resilient and adaptable they are as they experience an overwhelming amount of social, emotional, physical, and intellectual change. Through this model we work to support our students in creating a future for themselves that they will thrive in.

Second Steps

Social-Emotional Learning Support Curriculum

The purpose of any social and emotional learning program is to offer essential life skills to students, and support them in becoming better learners, who are better equipped to handle life's social and emotional challenges in the classroom and especially at home.  

The reason Second Step was chosen among other social and emotional learning programs is because of the evidence of its impact on student learning and it's long history of quality implementation across the United States. The Second Step program includes many tools that support and facilitate family and community engagement in student learning. 

If families are interested in learning more about the Second Step curriculum, they can go to secondstep.org under the Learn More Tab, and then Sample Lessons. Families can also reach out to the School Counselor at their student's campus with any questions or concerns.