The Counselor's Role

The way I explain my role to students is by telling them that “My job is to make sure the kids of Rogers Elementary are alright. I can’t make their lives perfect because there’s only so much I can

control but I strive to make things better for our students, even if its just a little bit.” I do this by following and applying the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA Standards) Professional

Standards as I provide 3 different tiers of services listed below.

Tier 1 - All Students

It is pretty hard to service all the students of Rogers considering there are more than 250 students but I do this by providing or supporting short lessons in the classrooms that target inter/intrapersonal skills and conversations about Postsecondary readiness. This is something that is being done District wide and our primary set of lessons utilize the Random Acts of Kindness - Kindness in the Classroom curriculum which is delivered by our teachers. This introduces our students to conversations centered on Respect, Caring, Inclusiveness, Integrity, Responsibility, and Courage. Postsecondary Readiness lessons would be delivered by me. Additionally, if a teacher requests an additional supportive lesson aimed at a targeted topic, then I use some evidence based resources to develop and deliver that lesson with their assistance. Skills like these are quickly being desired by more and more careers as they not only want a person who is knowledgeable about the career but who can also work well on a team with others to work towards a common goal.

Tier 2 - Small Groups

Tier 1 services targets the whole school while Tier 2 services targets small groups of students. Our school, Rogers, has a dedicated timeslot known as WIN time in which our students are put into small groups so they can receive additional instruction in areas they need more support in. While I do not take kids during this very important time, I do work with teachers to find a timeslot so I can work with students in other domains that indirectly lead to better academic achievement. Examples include, but are not limited to a social skills group that will help kids work better with one another or a study skills group in which we practice skills that can help us learn, retain, and receive information on the things we are learning about in class.

Tier 3 - Individual

Tier 3 targets individual students who have higher needs than others. Tier 3 referrals come up per parental, admin, or teacher request and typically consists of short check-ins with a student. Although my graduate program did cover the clinical side of Mental Health training, I am not in a position to provide long term, in-depth, counseling services due to the time constraints of any given school day. Additionally, these Tier 3 services pop up when I am asked to respond to a student in crisis in which I Respond, Regulate, and Return (if appropriate) a student to their classroom. For long term Mental Health services, please reach and I can help connect you with outside services based on your student’s needs.