Robert J Elkington Middle School

Welcome to Robert J. Elkington Middle School's Counseling Department

Please reach out to a counselor or social worker if you or your student is in need of support or resources. Email is the best way to contact us. We are here for you!

RJEMS Counselors provide students assistance in the following areas:

• Academic, personal/social and career support
• Meeting with students individually, facilitate small groups, lead classroom lessons, and discussion regarding student development
• Advocating for student needs through communication and consultation with students, staff, and families
• Assisting students in class selection and planning for the future
• Crisis prevention and intervention
• Development and implementation of student 504 plans
• Coordination of district and state testing
• Mediate student to student and student to teacher conflicts as well as other dilemmas that may arise
• Communicate with outside agencies and make referrals when necessary

Purpose and Philosophy
RJEMS is devoted to the embodiment of the well-rounded student. To maximize the potential of each student, RJEMS School Counselors recognize students may need assistance in overcoming other barriers such as personal/social, career, and academic issues. Counselors offer services for the needs of students and parents alike, to assist in maximizing student potential. Services include individual and group counseling, classroom lessons, referrals, system support, and consultation with parents and faculty.

Individual Counseling
To assist with each child’s level of success, school counselors are available to meet with students regarding any barriers a student or parent might encounter. Our school counselors follow the American School Counseling Association guidelines, however, our school counselors do not offer on-going therapy. Instead, we provide individual counseling focusing mainly on the concerns of the student, typically brief and solution-focused in nature (1 to 5 meetings) with the main goal of helping the child discover not only a solution to the concern but a way to handle future concerns as well. Students may set up an appointment in the main office. Parents are also welcome to call to make a referral and the counselor will call the student down as time allows. In the event of an emergency, students should inform an adult in the office immediately and assistance will be provided. Due to the nature of the setting, school counselors do not provide on-going therapy commonly practiced in a clinical setting. However, students in need of such attention can meet with a counselor to discuss such options as a referral. School counselors can also work with parents to establish the same referral possibilities.

Group Counseling
Group counseling sessions allow students to gain support and motivation from peers and counselors that they might not be able to experience in the individual setting. Various groups are provided as needed, such as social skills group, new students group, family change group, and grief and loss group to help the students reach their full potential. Parental consent is required for all group counseling participation.

Confidentiality
In order for students to feel safe enough to share and freely express themselves, a trusting relationship is necessary for growth in the counseling experience. By following the American Counseling Association Guidelines our counselors are held to the highest level of confidentiality by law. However in the case of emergencies such as if the student is a danger to self, others, or abuse or neglect is indicated, school counselors are obligated to protect the student and those involved by contacting the proper parties. Also due to the nature of the school setting, most of the students who have this service available to them are minors, meaning parents have the right to deny or encourage any services the child might be accepting. However, the counselor-student relationship is very important to the growth of the student and if that trust was to be broken or limited, it could greatly impact the effectiveness of the student’s counseling experience.

System Support
RJEMS recognizes the importance of every staff and community member in a child’s life. For this purpose, we offer a number of in-service trainings to teachers and community members to build and support relationships within our community. Also with our ever-changing society, it is important for our school counselors to keep current on issues affecting students and the profession, therefore our school counselors attend workshops, trainings, and classes to stay on top of our evolving society.