Lorie Patrick is pleased to have joined the staff at Chinook Elementary School this fall. Originally from Spokane Washington, Lorie completed her undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication with a minor in Applied Psychology at Eastern Washington University. After graduating she moved to the Seattle area and completed her Masters Degree in School Counseling at Seattle Pacific University. She is starting her 5^th year of elementary counseling with us here at Chinook.

Carey Hawkins is continuing her 6^th year here at Chinook. She obtained her Masters Degree in School Counseling from the University of Puget Sound. Before she was a school counselor Carey was a middle school Special Education teacher for 5yrs.

Our school counselors are licensed professional educators who work as an integral part of the total education program. They assist students, teachers, parents and administrators each day. They both look forward to working with you and your student(s) as we all beginning a new year together

Benefits of Counseling:

Success in school

Develop positive feelings of self

Develop communication skills

Learn to cope with changes

Recognize cause and effect their actions have

Take responsibility for their own behavior

How Do the Counselors Work ?

Counseling is conducted with students individually and in small groups when requested and determined appropriate. It is short-term, voluntary, and a confidential service aimed at enhancing a student’s school success, not to provide psychotherapy. Parental permission is obtained prior to any extended individual or group counseling. Students are seen by the counselor when:

Parents request and indicate a need and desire that the counselor meet with their children.

Students request counseling.

Teachers, administrators, or other school staff refer the student.

Services

Throughout the school year we will be offering many different programs including:

Classroom Guidance

Small Groups

Individual Sessions

Counseling Through Play

Crisis Counseling

Did you know that elementary counselors…

…teach classroom guidance lessons on a variety of topics?

…counsel individual students as needed and maintain confidentiality?

…counsel with small groups of children with similar concerns?

…consult with teachers and assist them in meeting individual student needs?

…maintain an information center in the Guidance/Counseling Office for parent and teacher use?

When considering referring your child to counseling it is always good to review these questions:

What are the needs of the child?

What are his/her strengths? Weaknesses?

Is this a new behavior or concern or something that you have been dealing with over an extended period?

Is there a time when the behavior/problem seems better/worse?

What have you found works for you and is effective in helping the child?

Describe a time when the child may have successfully managed the problem? What skills did the child use? Who may have helped? How can we build on this?

Who are the people in the child’s life that he/she can use for support?

What are some ways to restructure the environment providing a positive atmosphere?

Links