Cardinal Counseling Program

The School Counselor’s Role

School counselors design and deliver school counseling programs that improve student outcomes. They lead, advocate and collaborate to promote equity and access for all students by connecting their school counseling program to the school’s academic mission and school action plan. They uphold the ethical and professional standards of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and promote the development of the school counseling program based on the following areas of the ASCA National Model: define, deliver, manage and assess.

The Essential Role of Elementary School Counselors

Classroom Counseling Lessons

Lessons are developmentally appropriate for ALL students in grades K-5. Classroom lessons help promote the Cardinal moto CHIRP (cooperation, honesty, including others, respect, & perseverance). Classroom lessons often include books, videos, music, or special projects to engage students.

Topics include:

Emotion management
Communication & assertiveness skills
Problem solving steps
Growth mindset and perseverance
Bully prevention and intervention (schoolwide unit in combination with Physical Ed Classes)
Child safety & sexual abuse prevention
Career exploration
Substance abuse prevention (grades 3, 4, 5 by APS substance abuse counselor)
Transition to middle school (grade 5 in collaboration with middle school counselors)

Follow us on Bluesky Social

http://@cardinalcounselors.bsky.social

By integrating SEL and building strong relationships, APS fosters an environment where students can thrive both academically and emotionally.

School-Based Mental Health Teams

APS offers access to school counselors, psychologists, and social workers who can address mental health concerns and make the appropriate referrals for outside MH support but also:

Promote whole school social-emotional learning (SEL)
Facilitate peer support/psychoeducational groups
Engage students in building meaningful relationships and resilience
Permission from parent/guardian is required for participation in individual or peer support groups

Family and Caregiver Engagement

Recognizing that families are key to student well-being, APS:

Offers mental health workshops for parents through the Parent Resource Center
Shares resources and toolkits on fostering social-emotional development at home
Encourages active parent-teacher partnerships

American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Professional Standards and Competencies

To learn more about the benefits of social emotional learning in schools, check out this website from CASEL a leader in the development and practice. https://casel.org/impact/

*The Cardinal School Counseling Program has been recognized as an American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Model Program 2021