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Counseling & Clinical Services

Goals of School-Based Counseling

School-based counseling is designed to help students develop the emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in the classroom and other school environments (e.g., lunch, recess). Importantly, the goal of school-based counseling is typically to help students acquire (learn) one or more social-emotional skills and to generalize them to situations that will improve their functioning. This work includes:

  • Enhancing Emotional Regulation

    • Helping students recognize, express, and manage their emotions in healthy, developmentally appropriate ways.

    • Teaching strategies to cope with anxiety, frustration, sadness, or anger during the school day.
  • Improving Social and Interpersonal Skills
    • Strengthening communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation with peers and adults.
    • Fostering empathy, perspective-taking, and relationship-building.
  • Building Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem
    • Supporting the development of a positive self-concept and identity.
    • Helping students reflect on their strengths, challenges, and personal growth.
  • Increasing Problem-Solving Skills
    • Building skills such as impulse control, planning, organization, and flexible thinking.
    • Helping students learn to evaluate choices and consider consequences before acting,
  • Reducing School-Based Distress
    • Supporting students in managing school-related stress, separation anxiety, or difficulty adjusting to transitions.
    • Helping students who have experienced trauma or major life changes remain connected to learning.
  • Improving School Functioning and Engagement
    • Promoting sustained attention, task persistence, and participation in classroom routines.
    • Addressing behavioral challenges that interfere with learning or classroom dynamics.

Common Mental Health Challenges in Schools

Individual and/or group counseling is often requested when students are presenting with observable, school-related challenges that are adversely impacting their functioning in the classroom and other school-based settings. This includes:

  • Emotional and Behavioral Symptoms
    • Worry, sadness, irritability, or dysregulation that interferes with school functioning.
    • Outbursts, shutdowns, or disruptive behaviors due to difficulty managing emotions.
  • Difficulty with Peer Relationships
    • Difficulty making or keeping friends.
    • Frequent conflict, exclusion, or misreading of social cues.
  • School Adjustment and Coping
    • Struggles with transitions, attendance, separation, or new school routines.
    • Response to grief, trauma, or family stressors that show up in school behavior.
  • Self-Regulation & Executive Skills
    • Difficulty waiting, managing impulses, transitioning between tasks, or following multi-step directions.
    • Challenges staying organized or persisting through frustration.
  • Internalized Challenges
    • Withdrawn behavior, perfectionism, or low self-confidence impacting school engagement (e.g., attendance)

Important Note: School-based counseling is not designed to diagnose mental health disorders or replace outside therapy. Clinicians often collaborate with families and community providers when more intensive or ongoing community-based services are needed.

Examples of school-based clinical services include:

  • Short-term therapeutic groups that target a specific skill (e.g., social skills, emotional regulation, coping skills, mindfulness).
  • Brief, periodic individual check-ins with students.
  • Lunch groups that help students establish and maintain positive relationships.
  • Peer mentoring programs to promote social connectedness.
  • Structured recess activities for targeted social skill development.
  • Long-term individual counseling.
  • Safety and Support Plans, including crisis response protocols.