• School Counseling

    “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”

    - Ralph Waldo Emerson

    The components of the Benfield ES guidance program come from the National Standards for School Counseling.  The three broad goals for an effective counseling program are to help ALL students with:

    Academic Success
    Career Awareness
    Personal/Social Development

    Classroom Guidance Lessons

    Lesson topics include:

    Successful Student Skills
    Character Education
    Conflict Resolution Skills
    Stress and Anger Management
    Personal Body Safety, Harassment, and Bullying
    Self Awareness and Appreciation
    Career Awareness


    Small Group Counseling

    I meet with small groups of children during their lunch or recess times to discuss common issues.  I contact parents or guardians before placing a student in a group.  Groups may be formed to work on issues such as:

    Aggression and Anger Management
    Friendship and Social Skills
    Learning Skills and Motivation
    Changing Families
    Managing Anxiety
    Grief

    Children are referred to me by school staff, families, and by the children themselves.  I always contact parents/guardians if I would like to meet with a child on a regular basis.

    Individual Counseling

    I meet with individual children during their lunch or recess times, as needed.  Children very often ask to see me about peer relations.  I may also be asked to speak to individual children about personal or family crises, or for school success issues.  Again, if I would like to meet with a child more than once, I will call the parent or guardian.

    Consultation and Collaboration

    I work with our school teams, staff, school psychologist, outside agencies, and parents, to help all of our students to be successful in school.

     
    Referrals and Resources

    I can provide information to parents or guardians about outside agencies, programs, or materials that may be helpful to families.  Please see the reference section of this website for some additional informational websites for parents/guardians and kids.  A few state and county resources:

    To report suspected child abuse/neglect, please call:  410-421-8400
    MD Crises Hotline:    1-800-422-0009
    Domestic Violence Hotline:    1-800-MDHELPS (1-800-634-3577)
    The Family Stress Line:       1-800-243-5340
    The Family Resource Center:          (410) 222-6429
     

    A library of parenting books, materials, and information on parenting workshops, etc.

    The Family Tree:       (410) 431-5340    www.familytreemd.org 
                  Non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening families.
    Annapolis Youth Services (410) 626-1800 ext. 1801 www.maysb.com
                  Family based services for prevention and early intervention.
    Focus Adolescent Services: Family Help in Maryland
                  www.focusas.com  (click on “state directory” for Maryland)
    Partners for Success Resource Center:    (410) 222-3805
    Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency:  (410) 222-7858
    Mental Health Association of Maryland:  1-800-572-6426
                   www.mhamd.org (check out the recommended links)
    Anne Arundel County Conflict Resolution Center: (410) 266-9033
                   Offers mediation services and anger management workshops.
     
    Now the fun part...

    This is another website that offers further links to an array of interesting websites, so take some time to explore.

    For the adults:

    www.thefamilyworks.org

      “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”

    - Erin Majors