The Middle School Counseling Department is available to all students attending Plumb Hill Middle School. School Counselors encourage optimal academic, personal, social and career development through social-emotional curriculum, small group sessions, and individual counseling. School counseling services are an integral part of a student’s educational experience in middle school. Parents are encouraged to stay involved and have open communication with the counseling department for assistance with academic expectations, conferences and support. 

School counselors are prepared to respond to student mental health needs, and assist students and families seeking resources. School counselors support students in making decisions about their future utilizing each student’s abilities, interests and achievements.

School counselors work with other educators, parents and the community to support student achievement through a variety of means including participation in student teams (PPTs, 504s) and building level committees. School counselors also provide assistance with referrals to in-school and outside agencies as appropriate. 

"The Student Success Plan” (SSP) is an individualized student-centered plan that engages every student based on their unique interests and strengths helping them to understand the relevance of education to achieve post secondary educational and career goals...It will provide the student support and assistance in setting goals for academic, career, social, emotional, and physical development that meet rigorous high school and postsecondary expectations.  " (CSDE, 2012)

The SSP will begin in the sixth grade and continue through high school to provide every student support and assistance in setting goals for social, emotional, physical and academic growth, meeting rigorous high school expectations, and exploring postsecondary education and career interests. Students complete various tasks with their school counselor at each grade level and these are tracked in the Naviance portal.

School Counselors utilize curricula aligned with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competencies to improve students' social-emotional skills, such as emotion management, impulse control, problem solving, and empathy. 

CASEL Competencies:

• Self-Management - Managing one’s emotions, identifying and using stress management strategies, exhibiting self discipline.

• Social Awareness - Taking others’ perspectives, recognizing strength in others, demonstrating empathy and compassion. 

• Relationship Skills - Communicating effectively, developing positive relationships.

• Self-Awareness - Integrating personal and social identities, identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets. 

• Responsible Decision-Making - Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness, learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data and facts. 

A safe school climate is essential to maximize student learning. Plumb Hill Middle School is committed to creating and maintaining a physically, emotionally, and intellectually safe educational environment free from bullying, harassment and discrimination in order to foster an atmosphere conducive to learning and personal growth.

The mental health team uses developmentally appropriate strategies to support safe school climates. These include, and are not limited to:

• Bullying prevention/awareness which is addressed through comprehensive programing to ensure a safe learning environment for all students

• Suicide prevention and awareness using resources from the Signs of Suicide® SOS Prevention Program

• Guest speakers and community events

• Individual and small group counseling

• Classroom lessons