Hello Castelar Families,

I am Becky Tierney, the School Counselor that will be serving the students and families at Castelar for the school year. I am proud to be part of such an amazing school that motivates and supports our students and families. Below is some information about what school counselors do. I am looking forward to another great year!

What do school counselors DO?

We work with teachers and families to help students develop socially and emotionally, and to help remove any barriers they have to learning!

We provide:

• Classroom lessons
• Small group counseling
• Short-term individual counseling
• Consultation with families and teachers
• Parent workshops
• Referrals to community partners (including long term therapy services)
• Schoolwide programming (Kindness Week, College Week, etc.)

How can we support parents/guardians?

• Helping to handle social or emotional concerns you have about your child
• Improving parent-child communication
• Discussing family difficulties or concerns that affect your child at school
• Providing referrals for community resources
• Understanding the developmental changes of childhood
• Helping your child to be on time to school every day
• Discussing concerns about your child’s academic achievement

What types of things do we talk with students about in class lessons and in counseling?

• Making and keeping friends.                                                                                                          

• Setting goals
• Teamwork
• Feeling good about yourself
• Making good choices
• Being responsible
• Managing strong feelings.                                                                                                              

• Conflict resolution

How does a student see a school counselor?

• Self-referral
• Parent/Guardian referral
• Administrative, teacher, or other staff referral

 • Referral by friend(s)