Guidance and Counseling Program

The Guidance and Counseling Program is an integral part of the total school program. It provides direct assistance to students, parents and educational staff to promote a positive school environment. This is accomplished through strategies that primarily influence the academic, social, emotional and developmental needs of students. Student counseling, parent and teacher consultation, and classroom guidance instructional interventions used to promote positive student adjustment and to assist in maximizing each student's potential.

The goals of the elementary guidance and counseling program are to help students achieve the developmental goals of their age group. There are seven basic goals for the elementary child:

• Understand self-feelings, modes of behavior, interests, strengths, and values.

• Understand others and learn effective modes of interacting and communicating for the establishment of positive relationships.

• Acquire effective problem-solving, decision-making, and coping skills.

• Become self-directive and responsible for one's own behavior.

• Develop positive attitudes toward school, community, and society.

• Acquire positive attitudes toward learning and effective study skills to maximize intellectual development.

• Develop an understanding of, and positive attitudes toward, the world of work and of self as a worker.

The guidance program provides direct counseling services and guidance services. Counseling is a direct intervention used to assist students who may be having difficulty adjusting to the learning environment. Guidance services include planning and presenting the guidance curriculum and providing activities to meet the needs of students by consulting with teachers, staff and parents to enhance the counselor's effectiveness. Counseling, classroom guidance instruction, and consultation are interventions used to help promote positive student behavior and to assist in maximizing each student's potential.

Counselors counsel students individually and in groups when students are experiencing stressful situations such as being new to the school, dealing with an impending move to another school, feeling lonely, experiencing changes in their family and so forth. Individual and group counseling is done with parent permission. Topics for classroom guidance include communication, study skills, decision making, anger management and conflict resolution.

The counselors at Groveton support students in their efforts to learn, assist them in their social and emotional growth, and guide them in their transition from elementary school to middle school. They work in the classrooms teaching guidance skills and they conduct individual and small group counseling sessions to help students solve problems.

Please do not hesitate to contact our amazing school counselors!

Links

• Virginia Career View
• FCPS Bully Prevention
• Stop Bulling Now.gov
• I-SAFE.org
• NetSmartz.org

School Psychology Services

School psychologists are mental health specialists with knowledge of child development, the psychology of learning, behavior management and intervention, monitoring the progress of students, and program evaluation. School psychologists apply this knowledge using a problem-solving approach to help bring about positive changes in the learning environment, attitude, and motivation. Services offered by the school psychologist may be provided directly to the student or indirectly by working with teachers, parents, and other care givers; however, all services provided by the school psychologist are intended to enhance the academic and social emotional success of students. Minimum requirements to be a school psychologist include a 60-hour master's degree program and a one-year full-time internship; many FCPS school psychologists hold doctoral degrees.

Our School Psychologists

Diana Lucio, [email protected] 

Social Work and Support Services

School social workers focus on family and community factors that influence learning. They provide intensive services for students facing issues that pose risks to their academic success such as parent divorce and separation, poverty, truancy, chronic illness, mental health problems, conduct problems, child abuse, etc.

All FCPS social workers hold a Master of Social Work (MSW) or Master of Social Science (MSS) degree; many have earned a Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) degree. All school social workers are licensed by the Virginia Department of Education. The majority of the staff is clinically licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia Board of Social Work (LCSW) or in other jurisdictions and trained to provide mental health services in any setting.

Our School Social Worker

Pamela Jordan, [email protected]