Welcome!
My name is Molly Cassner and I am in my sixth year as the school counselor here at New Bloomfield Elementary. I have a master's of education degree in school counseling from Shippensburg University and am a Nationally Certified Counselor. I do classroom guidance lessons and individual and group counseling with students in kindergarten through fifth grade. I am in the building Monday through Friday from 8:00-3:30.You can reach me at 582-4318 x2205 or through email at mcassner@westperry.org
What is a school counselor?
A school counselor has a Masters Degree in school counseling and is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The school counselor is trained in human behavior and relationships, career development, and child development. The goal of the school counselor is to help students best meet their academic, career, social, emotional, and personal needs. There are school counselors at the high school, middle school, and elementary school levels.
Why do parents contact the school counselor?
How does a student see the counselor?
- Request by parent
- Referred by teacher, staff, or administrator
- Self-referral
- Appointment made by counselor
- Stopping by guidance office
What types of counseling are available at school?
*Social skills
*Conflict resolution
*Stress and anger managment
*Appropriately expressing feelings (sadness, anxiety, etc.)
*Self esteem
*Behavior challenges
*Family concerns and changes, ie, separation/divorce
*Grief and loss
*Crisis or traumatic event
*School refusal
*Divorce/Separation groups
*Frienship groups
*Grief and loss groups
*Teamwork/activity based groups
*Organizational groups
*Anger management
*School behavior
Acknowledgement
Pennsylvania School Counselors Association. Role of the Pennsylvania professional school counselor. [Brochure].
Guidance lessons:
I teach lessons on conflict resolution with first through fourth grades. Throughout all of my lessons, the symbol for conflict resolution is the "slow down hand". When a student is having a problem with another kid, the first step is to calm down/slow down, and I practice deep breathing with the students every lesson. Once a student feels in control of him/herself the next step is to use a good choice. The thumb and each finger on the "slow down hand" represents a good choice and each classroom lesson we discuss a different choice.
Thumb choice- I message
I feel ________________ (your feeling)
When you ____________(the problem)
Because_______________(why you don't like the problem)
I want_________________(what you would like the person to do)
First finger choice Smile and Be Nice
Middle finger choice- Leave
*After leave from the problem, go find another person/thing to do to feel better. We also discussed ignoring a student if they try to follow.
Ring finger choice- Taking turns
Pinky finger choice- Tell an adult (only if tried other choices first unless serious problem)
*it is called tattling or skipping to the pinky if student tells an adult without trying a good choice first
