Lakeview Elementary School Counseling Program
Ms. Cheryl Caputo
Ext. 4412
Ms. Jacqueline Plant-Maizell
Ext. 4285
The
purpose of the school counseling program is to impart specific skills and
learning opportunities through academic and personal/social development
experiences in a proactive and preventive manner for all students.
The primary goal of the School Counseling Program is to promote and enhance student learning through three broad and interrelated areas of student development.
The
three areas of student development are:
For
many people, the word counselor brings to mind someone they saw a few times in
high school to help with their schedule, college applications, and discipline.
Elementary counselors are responding to today’s needs by providing
children with comprehensive and developmental school counseling programs.
All
professional school counselors must have a master’s degree and meet other
certification requirements as defined by each state.
Why
Elementary School Counselors?
Elementary
school years are the time for developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes
necessary for our children to become healthy, productive adults.
With a comprehensive developmental counseling program, counselors work as
a team with school, parents, and community to create a caring atmosphere whereby
children’s needs are met through prevention, early identification and
intervention.
Adopted by the ASCA Governing
April
1997
Elementary
school is a time when students develop attitudes toward school, self, peers,
social groups, and family. It is a
time when students develop decision-making, communication, and life training
skills and character values. Comprehensive
developmental counseling is based on prevention, providing goals which are
integrated into all aspects of children’s lives.
Early identification and intervention of children’s problems are
essential to change some of the current statistics regarding self-destructive
behaviors. If we wait until
children are in middle or high school to address these problems, we lose the
opportunity to help them achieve their potential, as well as to develop feelings of dignity
and self-worth. For many children,
the school counselor may be the one person who provides an atmosphere of safety,
trust, and positive regard.