PISD supports counselors throughout your child’s school experience, Pre-K through 12th grade. As part of your child’s early childhood experience, the counselor will play a vital role in his/her social and educational development. Below are descriptions of some of the many services we provide. We are looking forward to working with your child in order to help him/her have a happy and successful year.

CLASSROOM GUIDANCE

Classroom guidance gives the counselor an opportunity to meet and get to know all children in the early childhood school. Lessons are developmentally-based in reference to PISD Early Childhood curriculum in order to meet the needs of the students.

Personal/Social Development:
o Recognizing and expressing feelings appropriately
o Friendship skills
o Working cooperatively in groups
o Identifying personal strengths
o Recognizing and accepting differences and uniqueness
o Coping skills
Pre-Academic Skills:
o Following directions
o Listening skills
o Taking responsibility for choices and actions
(Pre)Career Development:
o Identify personal skills
o Identify personal interests
o Exposure to different occupations

PARENT EDUCATION

Parent Education Programs will be presented on a variety of topics throughout the year.
· Becoming a Love and Logic Parent program by Jim Fay, Dr. Charles Fay, and Foster W. Cline. M.D. including great video stories.
· Daytime and evening classes will be offered throughout the year.
· Free to Beaty parents.
· Parenting books and CDs to checkout from Beaty.
· Other parenting programs offered through Beaty P.T.A.

Parenting Class Schedule, Spring 2008 - click here to open




PARENT CONFERENCES

Your school counselor is always available to meet with you for individual conferences. Please contact the school counselor to discuss any concerns regarding your child.

COUNSELING THROUGH PLAY

On some occasions some children may need additional assistance from the school counselor. In these cases, individual and small groups may be available depending upon the needs of the children. The counselor will consult with the teacher as well as observe the child in the classroom and other settings. Typically children will attend counseling for up to 5 sessions with the counselor in the playroom. If more assistance is needed appropriate referrals will be made to community agencies or private therapists.

· The counselor focuses on forming a warm, caring, and accepting relationship
with the child.
· Focus on immediate issues and feelings of the child.
· Help build positive self-image and improve social skills.
· In the playroom, children are given a chance to do for themselves, make mistakes, and learn their strengths.
· Play in the playroom with a counselor can provide emotional release, help to reduce aggressive tendencies, and provide a safe place to express feelings in order to make better choices.
· The counselor sets limits to facilitate development of the child’s decision-making skills, self-control, and self-responsibility.

A SHORT STORY

"Children"
A short story about visiting the counselor

Being a kid isn't always easy. There are lots of feelings and moods to figure out.

Sometimes you might feel happy or silly or sad, worried, angry, or scared.
You might have one feeling or a whole bunch of feelings at the same time!

These feelings might make you want to laugh, cry, or yell really loud!
Or you might be mixed up and not know what to do.

Sometimes things happen that can be hard for boys and girls to understand by themselves. Kids might need a special grown up to help them with their feelings.

Kids come to the playroom for special play time with a grown up. This
grown up knows a lot about kids and can help them with their worries or scary feelings. Some people call this person a counselor. You can call her by her name.

What happens in the playroom?
In this room you get to choose what to do. You can play with the toys in
most of the ways you would like. The grown up will make sure you are safe.

It can be hard to use your words to tell a story or share your feelings.
You can use the toys to help.

You can play, talk, laugh, cry, or yell. Doing these things with the
special grown up sometimes helps kids feel better. After a while you may not have as many worries, or maybe they won't feel so big. Even if you still have some worries, play with the special grown up can help you feel better.

After a while it will be time to stop coming to the playroom. If you need
to come back that's OK, you can tell your teacher or your mom or dad. You are a very special person, and I'm glad you've come to play!

Adapted from The Special Playroom by Jeanie Gilfix and Naomi Heller Kahn

Stacey Gartrell, Counselor
Beaty Early Childhood School
1717 Nevada Drive
Plano, Texas 75093
469-752-4215

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