School Counselors, Career Coach and School Psychologist

The mission of Benjamin Stoddert’s Counseling Department is to provide a proactive, comprehensive, and developmentally appropriate program to address students' academic and career goals in addition to supporting their personal and social needs. This is accomplished through a partnership with parents/guardians, staff, and community members to enable all students to become successful, productive citizens and lifelong learners in a diverse and changing world.

The Benjamin Stoddert Counseling Department will empower all students to reach their maximum potential by using a comprehensive program that addresses academic, personal/social, and career goals. We will promote an environment to encourage personal inquiry and growth, social responsibility, and academic excellence. School counselors believe that every student can succeed through the collaborative efforts of school, home, and community leading to responsible and productive citizenship.

Benjamin Stoddert's school counselors believe:

• Every student can succeed.
• Learning is a lifelong process.
• Fostering a positive self-image is the collaborative effort of the school, home, and community which leads to responsible and productive citizenship.
• The diverse needs of all students must be addressed through the school counseling program.
• Every student needs appropriate personal and social skills to achieve optimum benefits from the educational program.
• A comprehensive, developmental school counseling program is not a support service but an integral part of the total education program.
• A developmentally appropriate school counseling program provides important benefits to individual students by addressing their intellectual, emotional, social, physical, and psychological needs.

Today’s young people are living in an exciting time, with an increasingly diverse and mobile society, new technologies, and expanding opportunities. To help ensure that they are prepared to become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders and citizens, students need support, guidance and opportunities during their school years. School counselors provide services to students, parents, school staff and the community in the following areas:

School Counseling Curriculum

This curriculum consists of lessons designed to help students gain the knowledge and skills appropriate for their developmental level. The service provided will help students:

• Demonstrate personal and academic growth.
• Make appropriate educational and career decisions.
• Have productive interactions with others.

Responsive Services

Responsive services are preventative and/or intervention activities meeting students’ immediate and future needs. These needs may be addressed in any of the following activities:

• Individual or group counseling.
• Consultation with parents, teachers and other educators.
• Referrals to other school support services or community resources.

It is through a comprehensive developmental school counseling program that counselors work as a team member with school staff, parents, and the community to create a caring, supportive atmosphere in which students can achieve academic success.

School Counselors Can Help in Many Situations

• “My parents are getting a divorce. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
• “I’m new here and I’m having trouble making friends.”
• “My child scores high on standardized tests but hardly makes passing grades in school.”
• “My child is telling me that there is no homework, but I found out that the homework is not getting done.”
• “The student hasn’t been acting like himself lately. He seems to be preoccupied with something.”
• “The student has been absent from school for many school days. She is now having difficulty in school.”

Parents

To meet with a BSMS, school counselor, please feel free to contact us via e-mail or phone. Parent teacher conferences (PTC) are scheduled by a school counselor. PTC’s are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 3:15 PM (appointments only).

Students

To receive counseling services, a “Request to See the School Counselor” form has to be filled out by you or the person(s) making the request. A school counselor will meet with you within 24 hours. Emergencies are addressed immediately. Request forms will be located in the school counseling suite, main office and in your classrooms.

Crisis Management Institute

Discussing Difficult Situations with Your Children

FEMA for Kids

Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Stop Bullying

Social Emotional Learning

Relationship Skills

Responsible Decision-Making Skills

Self-Awareness

Self-Management | Managing Stress

Self-Management | Managing Your Time

Understanding the Differences Between 504s vs IEP

The Difference Between IEPs and 504 Plans

Understanding the Differences: IEP vs 504 Plan

• “A Terrible Thing Happened”
  Margaret M. Holmes ISBN # 1-57759-696-X Dalmation Press P.O. Box 682068 Franklin, TN 37068-2068
   
• “Reactions”
  Allison Salloum 1998 Centering Corporation Chicago, Illinois
   
• “Why Did it Happen?”
  Janice Cohen 1994 Morrow Junior Books New York, NY

• “Children and Trauma: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children Heal”
  Josey-Bass San Francisco, CA
   
• “The Scared Child: Helping Kids Overcome Traumatic Events”
  John Wiley New York, New York