Counseling - Lanier Middle School

Useful Links

Mental Health & Well-being

This section provides resources for understanding and addressing the unique mental health challenges of middle school students, including stress, anxiety, and depression.

Understanding the Teenage Brain 🧠
Anxiety, Stress, and Depression
Suicide Prevention
- Suicide Prevention (National Institute of Mental Health)
- Teen Mental Health

Online Safety & Bullying

These links offer guidance on how to identify, prevent, and respond to cyberbullying and ensure a safe online experience for students.

Cyberbullying and Internet Safety 📱

Educational & Counseling Resources

This section provides information from professional counseling organizations and resources specific to your school district and state.

Professional Counseling Associations 🎓
Local School Resources
- GCPS Office of Advisement and Counseling Website
- Helpful hints for parents of a middle schooler

Will my child be in trouble if he/she visits the school counselor?

Will others know that my child is being seen by the counselor?

School counselors take every precaution to protect the confidentiality of each student. A student’s right to privacy and confidentiality is the basis for an effective counseling relationship. Confidentiality ensures that school counselors won’t share students’ disclosures with others (including teachers and other staff members) unless the student authorizes it or when there is a clear and present danger to the student and/or to other persons.

What are the limitations to confidentiality that parents should know about?

Will my child miss academic time when they see the school counselor?

Can the school counselor provide therapy?

While school counselors have specific training in regards to mental health issues, they are not intended to function as therapists. The role of school counselors is to assist students with academic issues that may interfere with their academic success. School counselors are equipped to serve as liaisons with outside agencies and can consult with families about the steps to take to link to outside therapeutic services.

If my child sees the school counselor, will I be contacted?

Many times parents initiate the referral process and may speak to the counselor before counseling sessions take place with the students. However, parents are not called every time a counselor meets with a child. And, should parents be called in to meet with the school counselor in a collaborative effort to help the student, parents must also realize that confidentiality is the hallmark of a school counselors’ work. When students enter into a counseling relationship, the school counselor will educate the student about the purposes, goals, techniques and rules of procedure under which they may receive counseling. As counseling with a student progresses, it may become beneficial or necessary for the school counselor to consult and collaborate with parents. It’s the school counselor’s responsibility to reach an agreement with the student about what information to share with the parents; unless, of course, there is a clear and imminent danger to the student or others. While respecting the rights and responsibilities of parents/guardians for their children, the school counselor works to establish a mutual relationship with parents/guardians to maximize a student’s development. In addition, school counselors respect students’ values and beliefs without imposing their own personal values on the situation.

If the counselor sees my child, is this on the student's permanent record?

Programs

PBIS Expectations

No Place for Hate

Lanier Middle School has participated in No Place For Hate In collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League, which was founded in 1913 to secure justice and fair treatment for all for over a decade The NPFH program is geared toward allowing students to understand the damaging impact that bullying and prejudice have on individuals as well as the social fabric of schools. The initiative is designed to rally our Lanier Community around the goal of stopping all forms of bias and bullying fostering a culture of respect and learning. Each year, all of our K-12 cluster schools (Lanier High School, Lanier Middle School, White Oak Elementary, Sycamore Elementary, and Sugar Hill Elementary) participate in anti-bullying initiatives working together to fight bullying in our community.

Great Kindness Challenge

The Great Kindness Challenge is a celebration of kindness that hundreds of schools participate in all over the country. Last year they had over 2 million participants! The basic idea is to encourage each student and staff member to perform as many acts of kindness in one week as they can. The Executive Director of Kids for Peace stated that “When Kindness becomes a habit, peace becomes possible.” Why not contribute to this nationwide effort to encourage more kindness in the world? This year, we celebrated the Great Kindness Challenge during the week of February 6th - 10th, but we encourage creating a more KIND learning environment all year long!

Anonymous Bullying Report

Mission | Goals | Standards | Services

Mission

The mission of the LMS Counseling Department is to actively engage students in a comprehensive, data-driven program that supports the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students. The LMS Counseling Department works to remove barriers and advocates for all students to realize, maximize, and achieve their unique potential. Through collaborative partnerships amongst students, teachers, parents, and the community, LMS students will be prepared to pursue their passions and become productive, professional, and contributing members in a 21st century global workforce and world.

Goals

Academic: To increase student achievement by cultivating a ‘College & Career-Going Culture’ among our students. This will be accomplished by encouraging students to embody the idea that they are lifelong learners and thinkers capable of pursuing a college/technical education and developing career goals/awareness through providing core curriculum classroom lessons, parent education workshops, study skills small groups, morning announcements, and merging college/career messages communicated with the school community. Research has shown that a high correlation exists between academic success in the middle grades and success at the High School and post-secondary level as well.

Behavior: To encourage friendly/pro-social behaviors and teach our students to become good leaders and effective problem solvers through the use of classroom guidance in all grade levels, school-wide character education program, small groups, and school wide anti-bullying program.

Attendance: To encourage student attendance and therefore student achievement by increasing our students’ sense of belonging in the LMS community through the efforts of classroom guidance, school wide attendance incentives and to promote understanding of the relationship between school attendance and academic success by emphasizing attendance procedures with students and parents, and following through with Student Attendance Review Committee (SARC) procedures as appropriate and other attendance interventions.

ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for all students

The ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success describe the knowledge, attitudes and skills students need to achieve academic success, college and career readiness and social/emotional development. The standards are based on a survey of research and best practices in student achievement from a wide array of educational standards and efforts.

SCHOOL COUNSELING SERVICES

Counseling Core Curriculum - This curriculum consists of structured lessons designed to help students achieve the desired competencies and to provide all students with the knowledge and skills appropriate for their developmental level. The school guidance curriculum is delivered throughout the school's overall curriculum and is systematically presented by school counselors in collaboration with other professional educators in K-12 classroom and group activities. Please see list below of required Gwinnett County Competencies.
Responsive Services - Responsive services are prevention and/or intervention activities meeting students’ immediate and future needs. These needs can be necessitated by events and conditions in students’ lives and may require any of the following: individual or group counseling, consultation with parents, teachers and other educators, referrals to other school support services or community resources, peer helping.
Individual Student Planning - School counselors coordinate ongoing systemic activities designed to help all students plan, monitor and manage their own academic achievement, as well as establish personal goals and future career plans.
System Support - System support consists of management activities, establishing, maintaining, and enhancing the total school counseling program. These activities include professional development, consultation, collaboration, program management and operations. Professional school counselors are committed to continual personal and professional development and are proactively involved in professional organizations promoting school counseling at the local, state and national level.

College & Career

Georgia College Information Systems

GCIS is the program Gwinnett County uses to meet the BRIDGE Law requirements. It includes career interest inventories, information about hundreds of occupations, and allows students to develop an individual graduation plan. All students at Lanier Middle engage in GCIS activities with their grade level counselor. Check it out with your student and begin that early college and career planning!

Core Curriculum Classroom Lessons (based on Gwinnett Standards & Competencies and ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors)
Individual Counseling
Small Group Counseling
Crisis Intervention
Reporting to outside agencies
Peer Leader Program
Student mediations
Coordinate/Support to Half Hour Hero Mentor program
Linked @ Lanier Support
Blessings in a Backpack Program

Teacher/staff & Parent Consultation
Monitor Homeless Student Enrollment, Achievement & Reports
Monitor Student Attendance/Truancy Cases
Coordinate and lead 504 meetings
Attend KidTalk meetings as needed and when invited
No Place For Hate initiative/program implementation
Planning for Lanier Cluster Leadership Conference (through event in February)
Coordinate and Lead SARC meetings
Meetings with Administration
Administration of Character Strong Program for all grade levels
PBIS Support
Participate in Grade Level meetings
Parent and/or Teacher consultations
Community organization coordination and consultation