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Meet Mrs. West
My name is Amy West, and this is my second year at Bayou View Elementary. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and I have a Master's of Arts degree in Counseling. I have spent the last eleven years working with children and adolescents in a variety of settings providing individual, group, and family therapy. I've also worked in the school systems in Missouri and Georgia. I am a native of Mississippi, and I attended the University of Southern Mississippi for my undergraduate degree. I received my Masters degree at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX. My husband is in the United States Air Force, and we have three wonderful children, two of which attend Bayou View Elementary. We have had the pleasure of living all over the world! Our last home was in Aviano, Italy. It is great being back home near family and friends. However, I loved living in Italia! I am looking forward to meeting you and working with your children!
Why are elementary school counselors needed in public schools today?
Today’s young people are living in an exciting time, with an increasingly diverse society, new technologies and expanding opportunities. To help ensure that they are prepared to become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders and citizens, every student needs support, guidance and opportunities during childhood, a time of rapid growth and change. Children face unique and diverse challenges, both personally and developmentally, that have an impact on academic achievement.
Elementary School Students’ Developmental Needs
The elementary years are a time when students begin to develop their academic self-concept and their feelings of competence and confidence as learners. They are beginning to develop decision-making, communication and life skills, as well as character values. It is also a time when students develop and acquire attitudes toward school, self, peers, social groups, and family. Comprehensive developmental school counseling programs provide education, prevention and intervention services, which are integrated into all aspects of children’s lives. Early identification and intervention of children’s academic and personal/social needs is essential in removing barriers to learning and in promoting academic achievement. The knowledge, attitudes, and skills that students acquire in the areas of academic, career and personal/social development during these elementary years serve as the foundation for future success.
Meeting the Challenge
Elementary school counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today’s diverse student population. Elementary school counselors don’t work in isolation; rather, they are integral to the total educational program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help students achieve school success. Professional school counselors align with the school’s mission to support the academic achievement of all students as they prepare for the ever-changing world of the 21st century.
Elementary School Counselors Implement the Counseling Program by Providing:
School Guidance Curriculum
- Academic support, including organizational, study and test-taking skills
- Goal setting and decision-making
- Career awareness, exploration and planning
- Education on understanding self and others
- Peer relationships, coping strategies and effective social skills
- Communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution
- Substance abuse education
- Multicultural/diversity awareness
Individual Student Planning
- Academic planning
- Goal setting/decision- making
- Education on understanding of self, including strengths and weaknesses
- Transition plans
Responsive Services
- Individual and small-group counseling
- Individual/family/school crisis intervention
- Conflict resolution
- Consultation/collaboration
- Referrals
System Support
- Professional development
- Consultation, collaboration, and teaming
- Program management and operation
Elementary School Counselors Collaborate with:
Parents
- Parent education
- Communication/networking
- Academic planning
- College/career awareness programs
- One-on-one parent conferencing
- Interpretation of assessment results
Teachers
- Classroom guidance activities
- Academic support, including learning style assessment and education to help students succeed academically
- Classroom speakers
- At-risk student identification and implementation of interventions to enhance success
Administrators
- At-risk student identification and implementation of interventions to enhance success
- School climate
- Behavioral management plans
- School-wide needs assessments
- Student data and results
- Student assistance team building
Students
- Peer education
- Peer support
- Academic support
- School climate
- Leadership development
- Community
- Job shadowing, service learning
- Crisis interventions
- Referrals
- Parenting classes
- Support groups
- Career education
~These examples are not intended to be all-inclusive~
