What kinds of services do counselors provide?

Counselors may see students individually, in a group counseling session or in a classroom for a guidance presentation. They also may serve as consultants or liaisons for students, parents and teachers.

Some individualized services include scheduling parent-teacher conferences, monitoring students' grades and registration assistance. Students also can receive support in dealing with personal and interpersonal concerns.

What can a student expect to get out of a meeting with a counselor?

"Hopefully, all students can expect to find an adult counselor with an open heart, an open mind and really BIG ears to listen to their concerns and their feelings. We also hope that students will feel that they can see a counselor whenever they are experiencing any difficulties in or out of school. A student with problems or concerns can expect the counselor to be knowledgeable about age-appropriate resources and/or strategies to help them grow in the areas of academic, career and personal/social development," the Highlands counselors said.

Do you have any tips related to counseling?

Myth: Middle-school students no longer need adult assistance. They are old enough to handle things on their own.

Reality: Middle-school students need more help, structure, encouragement, guidance, patience, love and understanding than ever before. We would like to ask parents to stay actively involved in their child's school (e.g. volunteer, PTSA, chaperon, etc.), as well as to help their child to monitor their academic progress. We hope that parents will stay in contact with their child's teachers and counselor so that we can work together to support every child. Parents are highly encouraged to keep the doors of communication open with their pre-teen.

Source: Highlands Intermediate counseling staff: Cara Gebhard, Ursula Kawaguchi (department head), Leona Sewake, Kathy Tonaki, Mike Uehara and Cy Watanabe