COUNSELING DEPARTMENT

Thank you for visiting the Widewater Elementary Counseling Department!  

Mrs. Goldberger is the returning full-time School Counselor at Widewater Elementary. During the 2022-2023 school year, the counseling team looks forward to working with your students!

Parents are welcome to seek our assistance. Please call or email to set up an appointment. We want to be sure to set aside the appropriate time and attention to address any matters. We work with students individually to address concerns as they arise during the school year.

We look forward to hearing from you and working with your students. Thank you!

Three major components of the Counseling Program:

Classroom Lessons:   Classroom lessons are taught approximately once a month in all classrooms. Lessons primarily emphasize the character education initiative in Stafford County. For example, we teach lessons based on the Word of the Month such as Responsibility, Honesty, Respect, and Perseverance.  Other classroom lessons may include topics such as bullying prevention, test taking skills, friendship, career awareness, and conflict resolution.                
  
Small Group Counseling: Small group sessions are held once a week, during the school day, for approximately six weeks.  Various groups are offered throughout the year based on student population needs.  Topics may include, but are not limited to, managing adverse situations, confidence building, friendship, changing families, and deployment.  We will ask for parent permission for a student to join a group.  

Individual Counseling:  Individual counseling is available for students experiencing a particular concern.  Counseling in the school is offered on a short-term basis, and primarily is designed to help children cope with specific issues. Parents and/or teachers may recommend a child for individual counseling.  Permission is required for children to receive counseling services on a regular basis.  However, children have self-referral slips if they wish to meet with a counselor occasionally during the school year.  As professional school counselors, we believe that children have the right to confidentiality.  However, we will always keep the best interests of the child first, and we use our best discretion when informing parents of information shared in counseling.  

School Counseling Mission Statement

It is the mission of the School Counseling Program at Widewater Elementary School to recognize and respect the unique qualities of each student by guiding all students toward academic, personal/social, and career success. By working together with all Wildcat Team members, we strive to maintain high expectations for all students while addressing barriers to learning. We aim to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and attitude to become effective learners and productive members of their communities.

 School Counseling Philosophy and Beliefs 

• All students can be successful.
• All students' dignity and culture, including race, ethnicity, gender, abilities, disabilities, religion, home language, socio-economic status, and sexual orientation, should be respected and valued.
• School counseling is an essential and integral part of the overall education process.
• All students will have access to a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program run by a Master's level, state certified professional school counselor.
• The school counseling program, which is concerned with ALL students, has a goal of being collaborative, proactive, and responsive.
• The school counselor will be accountable by using data to drive program development and evaluation.

Counselor Ethics

School counselors abide by the professional ethical standards of the Virginia and American School Counselor Association. School Counselors' relationships with others comply with all laws, policies, and ethical standards pertaining to confidentiality. Information and records of personal and social counseling with students are kept confidential and separate from a student's educational records and will not be disclosed to third parties without prior parent consent or as otherwise provided by law.