What can the school counselor help me or my student with at Park?
- Talk about and explore student concerns (personal, social, academic)
- Calm down and plan ways to solve a problem
- Work in groups with other students
- Discuss study habits & learn study skills
- Explore career/college options
- Make future plans
Does the school counselor need parent/guardian permission before talking with students?
School counselors are a resource for all students, and services are considered part of the school curriculum. Therefore, permission is not needed. However, if a child is asked to participate in a small group, a parent/guardian will be notified and permission will be requested.
Do school counselors tell parents/guardians what students talk about?
An important part of the counselor-student relationship is trust. One of the ways counselors build trust with students is through confidentiality (“What is said in the counselor’s office, stays in the counselor’s office”).
Counselor’s share with students that we will always try to keep information confidential, but there are times when we must share the information with other adults.
These situations include:
- If someone is hurting the student.
- If the student wants to hurt someone else.
- If the student wants to hurt themselves.
It’s also important to note that many times problem solving is collaborative, meaning that the more people we have working together, the better things can be. So there will be many times when we want to include teachers and parents in our work together!