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Meet the Byam Elementary School Counseling staff
Lyndsey O’Neil, Counselor
- 978-251-5144 | oneill@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Jaci Reinert, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist
- 978-251-5144 | reinertj@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
School Counseling
What is an elementary school counselor?
- A certified, specially trained professional educator who has a minimum of a Masters Degree in School Counseling or the equivalent.
- A special friend when a child needs someone to listen.
- An advocate for students.
- A caring person who provides help and guidance to teachers, parents, students, and administrators.
- Someone who counsels with students both individually and in groups.
- A teacher of social-emotional learning curriculum.
What does an elementary school counselor do?
- Offers the student body a wide range of school counseling services that are developmentally appropriate for each grade level, and are generally preventative in nature.
- Conducts a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate guidance and counseling program based on the American School Counseling Associations national model.
- Collaborates with staff to support students.
- Utilizes referral services and helps families and students to access community resources.
- Conducts parent and teacher conferences.
- Provides guidance lessons to each class and works with identified groups of children with specific needs.
- Provides brief individual counseling to:
- help students develop effective communication skills;
- help students develop positive interpersonal relationship skills;
- help students set positive goals, exercise responsibility and improve academic success;
- help provide support during a crisis.
A child may see the counselor for:
- Any social or emotional problems that they may be experiencing that are impacting the student’s academic performance and functioning at school.
- Ongoing social difficulties and/or conflicts.
- Divorce or changing family issues.
- A loss of a family member or close friend.
- Decision-making and problem-solving skills.
- Improvement and aid in the development of positive self-esteem.
- Family concerns or fears.
- Developing and increasing social, self-regulation and organizational skills as it relates to functioning at school.
- Review and discussion of academic needs and concerns.
- Individual counseling at school is short-term in nature. Should a student need long term, on-going therapy, a referral can be made to an outside mental health provider. Individual counseling referrals for students can be made through the request of a student, parent or teacher.
