DIRECT SERVICES

Your School Counselor functions in many capacities. Ms. Hench provides support to students, parents, families, the school staff and community. Please read below for a description of these Direct Services.

Individual and Small Group Counseling & Conflict Mediation

Individual and Small Group Counseling & Conflict Mediation
Individual Counseling - Short Term Individual counseling is available to all students to address social, emotional, behavioral, and/or academic needs. Students can be self-referred, referred by teachers or referred by a parent/guardian. The goal of individual counseling is to build on the existing strength of the student, identify areas in need of support and provide strategies to address needs. I work collaboratively with parents and teachers as needed, create and monitor goals for each student.

*Confidentiality - Confidentiality is an important component of the counseling relationship. However, students are informed at the beginning of the counseling relationship that there are three exceptions to confidentiality:

1) the student reveals they wish to do harm to themselves,

2) the student reveals that someone is harming the student or another student, and/or

3) someone else's safety is threatened.

I encourage students to share with their parent and/or teachers, and ask for student permission to share information if it is relevant to a third party.

Small Group Counseling - Group counseling is especially helpful when students share a common concern or challenge. For students of all ages it is helpful to meet together to share ideas and support one another. Groups are organized by age/developmental level and typically last for a duration of 6-8 meetings. Possible group topics include: Anger Management, Social Skills, Goal Setting, Divorce, Grief and Stress Management. I like to hold groups during the lunch period and will try my best to not interrupt instructional time.

Conflict Mediation - The process of conflict mediation occurs between two or more students involved in a dispute. Students can meet in a private and safe setting to work out problems with the assistance of the School Counselor. Teachers and parents may refer students for conflict mediation and/or students can self refer.

Classroom Guidance Lessons & Academic, Career & Middle School Guidance

Classroom Guidance Lessons - At times, classroom guidance lessons will be an appropriate and very helpful method to address a specific need for an entire classroom. Ms. Hench plans to work collaboratively with the classroom teacher to provide these lessons. Lesson topics range from: bullying, safe touch, study skills, character education, etc. The aim of each lesson is to have a high level of student interaction and for students to learn a new skill or acquire new knowledge.

Academic, Career & Middle School Guidance - I am available to discuss academic services, career opportunities and to provide guidance for the School Selection Process. The process can be a confusing, especially if you are doing it for the first time. Ms. Hench is available to meet with you and your student to thoroughly explain the process. It is best to start preparing for this process at the beginning of the middle elementary school years, as the student's 4th grade PSSA scores, subject grades, and attendance will be the information Middle Schools look at for admittance. Information on this process will be available on this website as well as distributed as soon as it's made available by the School District of Philadelphia. Ms. Hench is also available to introduce, discuss and guide students regarding academic, career, and post-high school opportunities and student readiness.

INDIRECT SERVICES

Your School Counselor functions in many capacities, providing support to students, parents, families, the school staff and community. Please read below for a description of the Indirect Services provided by the School Counselor.

Referrals to Behavioral and Mental Health Services

At times, the School Counselor will recommend that a student be referred to a Behavioral or Mental Health agency in order to receive more specialized and individualized services. This typically occurs when the barriers presented by the student fall outside of the scope of the School Counselor services.

For example, students may experience a traumatic event, sudden loss or struggling with severe behavior challenges. In these instances and others, in addition to the support of the School Counselor, professional services from a Mental Health/Behavioral Health Therapist may be needed in order to provide the student with an appropriate level of support.

There are a number of these services in the city and the School Counselor will work with the family and agency to help make the referral and remain in contact with the counselor/therapist. Examples of these agencies can be found on the "Resource Page" of this website

Teacher Consultation and Collaboration

At times, the School Counselor will recommend that a student be referred to a Behavioral or Mental Health agency in order to receive more specialized and individualized services. This typically occurs when the barriers presented by the student fall outside of the scope of the School Counselor services.

For example, students may experience a traumatic event, sudden loss or struggling with severe behavior challenges. In these instances and others, in addition to the support of the School Counselor, professional services from a Mental Health/Behavioral Health Therapist may be needed in order to provide the student with an appropriate level of support.

There are a number of these services in the city and the School Counselor will work with the family and agency to help make the referral and remain in contact with the counselor/therapist. Examples of these agencies can be found on the "Resource Page" of this website

Family Consultation and Collaboration

The School Counselor works collaboratively with the parents and families of Logan School. This collaborative relationship is an important part of meeting
student need and providing support. A few examples of how the School

Counselor and family can collaborate:

Referrals to individual/small group counseling with the School Counselor

Referrals to Mental Health services when student need goes beyond
the scope of School Counselor support

Peer Conflict Resolution

Consultation and communication regarding student progress

Information/Guidance on socio/emotional health, college/career
readiness, academic planning