School Counselors

The mission of the K-8 School Counseling Program at Hinesburg Community School is to support learning for all students by providing services that promote student development in the following areas: personal/social, academic, and future planning. School Counselors, in collaboration with students, administrators, teachers, parents, and community members, facilitate a student-centered, mental health-based program. CVSD School Counselors are master-level counselors with specific skills and training to support children and families dealing with both acute and chronic mental health conditions.

Our services are focused on fostering positive student outcomes while addressing personal needs and mental health barriers to learning and preparing students to become productive members of our diverse world. The overarching goal of the CVSD Counselors is to support student learning and promote whole-child wellness. School Counseling services are designed to improve student wellness through the creation of a positive and safe learning environment. Counselors respond to student mental health needs and support the development of proactive social and emotional learning skills that focus on student achievement and future goals.

The program is founded on the belief that individuals experience stages of personal growth and development as they move from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. Consequently, School Counselors must adapt services and supports based on the needs of students at each grade level. The program requires the cooperative efforts of each school and the approach is comprehensive, responsive, preventive, and proactive.

To do this work, HCS School Counselors:

● Incorporate American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Mindsets + Behaviors into lessons and interventions

● Meet with staff members, parents and students in classrooms, small groups and one-on-one

● Respond to immediate needs, de­escalate crises, support self­-regulation, + problem solving

● Observe and monitor students' social, emotional, and behavioral levels 

● Complete mental health screenings, interest inventories and needs assessments

● Provide collaborative short-term, solution-focused counseling with student

● Facilitate small groups on select topics: friendship, cooperation, mindfulness, executive functioning, social emotional learning skill building

● Connect students with a common concern: changing families, moving to a new area, dealing with loss, self ­image, leadership groups, etc

● Attend Kidtalk, EST, IEP, 504 meetings and school based, system meetings

● Actively engage in Educational Support Team, Child Protection Team, and SST meetings

● Provide tours to incoming families

 ● Support the placement and transition of students into Kindergarten, from team to team, and to Champlain Valley Union High School.

● Provide and follow­up on referrals to outside sources for counseling or psychological services