The Counselor's Corner
September 2015
Joshua Waters, Counseling Intern
Dontea' Mitchell-Hunter, Counseling Intern
Mr. John Chick, School Counselor, 7th/8th grade
We Are Here For You
Mr. Chick and I are here as a resource for ALL parents and students at Lowndes Middle School. We can help you with the normal developmental changes and challenges that arise during middle school years. We also have two Marriage Family Therapy interns whose goal is to work with adolescents. They will be working alongside us for the entire year in individual sessions and group sessions. Their clinic, Family Works, will also be apart of the community referral listing as an outside therapy option.
Consider the following:
- Does your middle schooler struggle with organization, studying, or staying on task to complete assignments?
- Does he/she need help learning how to handle changing friendships or how to be more assertive; would he/she benefit from learning strategies to better communicate with family and friends?
- Do you have concerns about your child’s behavior at school or at home?
- Do you have concerns about how your child handles stress-related issues?
- Do you have questions about your child starting high school?
We can help you in all of these areas and more!! We are you and your child's school support system and want to ensure that your child is successful in the classroom and outside of the classroom.
How Can We Help?
Student Services
Individual Sessions:
Each individual session is different depending on the student's issue. During an individual session, we meet during the day for a brief period of time to:- Focus on his/her strengths, learn and practice coping strategies like deep breathing, assertive communication, problem solving, or conflict resolution.
- Talk about normal, developmental issues like friendships, relationships, understanding of self.
- Explore ways to cope with difficult life transitions like divorce or the loss of a loved one.
- Talk about academics, transitioning from middle to high school, college and career planning, goal-setting, and decision-making.
- Assist in teaching proper listening and communication skills during peer conflict
Group Counseling Sessions:
- These structured groups require parent permission and focus on a specific strategies like Study Skills, Coping Strategies, or Organizational Skills.
- We meet during the day for about 30 minutes on a rotating schedule for about 6-8 weeks.
- In groups, students also develop their self-confidence, learn problem solving skills and meet new friends!
- Currently, we have a Coping Skills, Organization/Study Skills, and a Girls Self-Empowerment Group (Learning I'm Fabulously Terrific)
School Counseling Core Curriculum Lessons:
- Classroom lessons are based on National and State Counseling Standards.
- We visit each class once per month and focus on career exploration, goal setting, preparing for high school, understanding of self and others, diversity, test taking and study skills, mental health, internet safety, and/or any other area a teacher my want us to cover with the entire class.
Parent Services
Consultations
- I can join you for your parent/teacher conferences
- With written permission, consult with outside professionals like pediatricians or therapists to ensure your child's needs are met in the school setting.
Resources and Reference Info
- Do you have a parenting question? I might have an answer! But, if I don't, I have websites, books, brochures and other resources to help.
Referrals
- Perhaps your child needs more support than we can provide in the school setting. I have referral information for social workers, therapists, school psychologist, and counseling groups that are better suited to serve your child's' needs.
- We also can provide referrals for community resources to assist your family.
We will work as a team to develop and implement strategies to address the individual needs of your child to ensure his/her success.
To learn more about how we can work together this year, please read this helpful article from the American School Counselor Association. Please feel free to email or call me with any questions or concerns!
Lowndes Middle School
Website: lms.lowndes.k12.ga.us
Location: 2379 Copeland Road, Valdosta, GA, United States
Phone: 229-245-2280
Twitter: @cj1scounselor