HARPETH MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELORS HOME PAGE
Welcome to the HMS school counselors' website! We are so glad to be serving the students, parents, teachers, and administrators at Harpeth Middle School. Please explore the different tabs and as always, let us know how we can better help you.
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Even though things look a little different right now in the midst of a pandemic, we are still here for you. We are at school in person to help students with whatever challenges they may be facing.
If you are a virtual student, we can communicate with you through email, Teams, Conferences, Zoom, or a phone call. Please reach out to us if you have a particular challenge you’re trying to deal with.
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A little bit about what middle school counselors do:
School counselors serve all the students at a school and help them be their best.
We create and implement classroom guidance lessons that are aligned with state standards.
We help organize school-wide service projects and special events to provide a variety of learning opportunities.
School counselors are in constant communication with parents, teachers, administrators, and other professional counseling colleagues to discuss ways in which we can meet the needs of all students.
We connect families with school and community resources, such as The Ark, or other organizations that provide clothes, food, and other health needs.
On a daily basis, we talk with students who have a problem they'd like help solving or have something on their mind they'd like to talk about.
We use small groups to counsel students and build relationships around shared needs like divorce/changing families, grief, anger management, etc.
We counsel students individually to teach students social skills and coping skills.
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Some topics that are part of the school counseling framework:
Emotional awareness and coping skills
Conflict resolution
Friendship/social skills
Self-esteem
Goal-setting
Decision-making
Character education (respect, responsibility, kindness, trustworthiness, etc.)
Personal safety
Behavior, choices and consequences, & responsibility
Career awareness and preparedness
Academic skills and achievement
Appreciating individual differences
What we do in group and individual counseling:​
Talk about the issue at hand and get to know each other.
Build a positive relationships and connections at school.
Develop problem-solving abilities.
Teach coping strategies, social skills, study skills, etc.
Build self-esteem and confidence.
Help students cope with difficult and/or unchangeable life events.
Help students recognize and make use of their potential.
Provide students with a safe, open place to share their concerns and feelings.
Give students the opportunity to connect with other students having similar experiences.
EMAIL:
PHONE:
Office: 615-952-2293. Google Voice: 615-873-0619
FAX:
615-952-4723
THE HMS COUNSELING DEPT
School Counselors: Brandi Gilland and Kirstie Whitaker