School Counseling Services

Eric Bowden
School Counselor at NOE
Email Eric Bowden
(717) 624-2157, ext 7009

Lisa Miller
School Counselor at CTE
Email Lisa Miller
(717) 624-2157, ext 8009

Elementary Counseling Services

Classroom Counseling:

Students in grades K-3 receive a guidance lesson twice a month. These lessons are built with foundations of the American School Counselor Association's Mindset and Behavior Standards at their core.  Lessons will focus on topics surrounding self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, social awareness, as well as career to work standards.  Our goal is to foster learning opportunities that encourage the development of our students as lifelong learners who will contribute positively to their community both in and out of  the classroom.

Individual:
Individual support is available for students to address a number of concerns a student might present. Common concerns that students may present include, but are not limited to, friendship issues, difficulty in the classroom, conflict resolution, new student orientation, difficulty coming to school, and anger management. Referrals for students to talk with the support teacher can be made by classroom teachers, by parents, or by the children themselves. Confidentiality is maintained to ensure the privacy of the individual student. If you have any questions or concerns about your child that you would like to discuss with the support teacher please feel free to contact the student support office.    

Groups:
A support group is a group of students who meet with a specific goal in mind. Goals vary from group to group…one group may be a one-time “meet and greet” for new or transitioning students or a longer social skills group. Support Groups can be an extremely versatile way to meet the needs of our students. Students can be taught positive social skills and needed replacement behaviors to make them more successful in school.     Some topics of support groups include:

• School anxiety
• Self Esteem
• Making/keeping friends
• Conflict resolution with peers
• Managing anger
• Self Expression and Social Skills

Any issues that develop throughout the school year that are interfering with the students’ academic or social well-being are appropriate topics for support groups. Maintaining open communication between the support teacher, the classroom teachers, and parents will assist in determining upcoming topics for groups.  

Students are referred to support groups by anyone who works with them, including parents! If your child is included in a group, he/she will bring a paper home explaining the group and giving contact information for parents having questions. Meeting with students in small groups has several benefits:  

• The relaxed setting helps reluctant students to “open up”.
• Students are taught social skills, problem solving techniques, and conflict resolution strategies before there is a problem.
• A standardized problem solving/conflict resolution process can be taught and referred to in behavioral expectations. (Example: Learning what to do when someone calls you a name, instead of call them a name back.)
• Students gain a sense of belonging and comfort seeing other students dealing with similar situations.