I am the new school counselor here at Lamar! I am so excited to be serving this community and helping our youth grow. As a school counselor, I provide services that include check-ins, small groups, classes, resources, college/ career planning, crisis interventions, and school wide initiatives. I have been really enjoying my time with students and staff in this supportive environment.

The School Counseling Program will meet the Tennessee Department of Education standards for school counseling by addressing the following domains:

• Academic Development: Students will be assisted in the implementation of strategies and activities to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn.

• Social and Emotional Development: Students will be supported in managing emotions and learning and applying appropriate interpersonal skills.

• College and Career Development: Students will be supported in understanding the connection between school and the world of work and to plan for and make a successful transition from school to postsecondary education and the work force.

The School Counseling Program will be delivered through the following four services:
Classroom Instruction Curriculum - developmentally appropriate classroom lessons that correspond to the needs of our student population. The lessons include topics from academic, social/emotional, and college and career domains.

• Individual Student Planning - assisting students in academic planning, decision making, and goal-setting.

• Responsive Services - address students’ immediate academic and/or social/emotional needs through individual counseling, group counseling, collaboration with teachers, staff, and parents, consultation with professionals in the counseling field, coordinating services for students and families, and crisis prevention and intervention. As are all citizens, the school counselor is mandated to report suspected or reported child abuse and neglect. (Please note that counseling services provided by a school counselor are not to be considered therapy, and are short-term and solution-focused. At parent's request, we can discuss community options for continued counseling services for your child outside of school. School counseling services are student-focused and not designed for litigious support.)

• System Support - school wide program planning, implementation, and support.

Our class lessons will follow both the State of Tennessee Model for Comprehensive School Counseling (our state standards for school counseling programs), as well as the standards presented in the ASCA (American School Counseling Association) National Model.