Office of School Counseling
Mission Statement
The school counseling program's primary goal is to assist all students in reaching
their academic potential by removing barriers to learning and preventatively assisting
students in acquiring life success skills.
As an integral component in the education system, school counselors provide a developmental,
comprehensive and continuous program of services from pre-kindergarten through high
school targeting the academic, career and personal / social development of all students.
Counseling, consultation, coordination, collaboration, guidance curriculum, and
program evaluation are the main delivery methods in a successful school counseling
program. School counseling achieves maximum effectiveness through the support and
collaboration of parents, teachers, administrators, and community members.
The Harford County Public School Counselor Program:
- Integrates the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) National
Model for School Counseling Pre-K through 12.
- Adheres to Ethical code developed by the American School Counseling
Association (ASCA) and American Counseling Association (ACA).
- Uses data to drive the program to determine that critical school
needs are met.
- Incorporates the Harford County Public School Master Plan, the Annotated
Code of Maryland, and the local School Improvement Plan, to develop a plan of implementation
for services.
Click the tabs below for more information about the Office of School Counseling:
School Counseling Service Delivery Model
School Counselors: Deliver a prevention-focused comprehensive and
developmental guidance and counseling program in grades Pre-kindergarten through
Grade 12.
Overview of the Model
- Intervention- What multi-agency teams must be created to deliver
programs and services for the highest "at-risk" student populations?
- Early Intervention - What data is needed to identify selected populations?
- Prevention - What prerequisite knowledge, skills, and competencies
do all students need in the academic, personal-social, and career domains?
Program Brochures
School Counselors:
- Assist Students with individual student planning and academic advising.
- Connect students with college resources, financial aid assistance, and employment
applications.
- Interpret student records.
- Participate on school teams in an effort to support the academic success of all
students.
Below you will find additional academic resources:
Testing Links and Resources
State Mandated Testing
PSAT
SAT
ACT
AP
CLEP
Strategies
Information From Harford County Public Schools
Homework Strategies and Resources
Choosing a College
-
America's Best Colleges 2011 -US News & World Report article on college comparisons
- College
Atlas -Community and Technical Colleges
- Campus Tours -Search by
college for general information, virtual tours, campus maps, and college websites
- College Opportunities
Online -Allows users to search for post-secondary programs based on a variety
of parameters including geography, size, program, and type of institution
- College Fairs -Find a college fair, pre-attendance preparation,
what to do at the college fair from the National Association for College Admissions
Counseling
- Community
College Search -Users can search for 2-year post-secondary institutions geographically,
alphabetically, or by keyword
- MD Community Colleges -A listing of the MD Community Colleges
with links
- Peterson's College Bound Home
-Search for colleges, information on testing, admissions essay help, and financial
aid
- Plan for College -Website sponsored by the College Board gives
advice, tips and information for high school students interested in attending college
- Princeton Review -Resources
for schools and careers, improving testing skills, scholarships and financial aid,
and resources for K-12 Educators
- U.S. Two-Year
Colleges -Search by state for list of colleges and links to their websites
- Online University Guide-
A guide to online Universities
College Board
Financial Aid
- FAFSA on the Web -U.S. Department
of Education site providing assistance in filling out the form and following up.
- Federal Pell
Grant Program -Overview of the federal program to provide need-based grants
for low-income undergraduates - includes application procedure and eligibility
- FinAid -Information on scholarships,
loans, savings, military aid, and more
- Financial Aid Finder
-A collection of FAQs, and resources including state sponsored financial aid and
scholoarship finder
- Financial Aid
-From US Department of Education includes tools and information for parents, students,
teachers, and administrators.
- Pay for College -From the College Board - conduct a
free scholarship search use the financial aid calculator, and apply for
loans
-
Paying for School
-
Paying for College -From US News and World Reports - includes news, planning
tools and a student loan finder
- Sallie Mae -Resources for
student loans
Scholarships
Scholarship Searches
School Counseling - Career Development
School Counselors: Provide opportunities for students at all levels
to explore and identify their career interests and abilities through inventories,
advising and/or Career Day/Week/Month.
Below you will find additional career resources:
- Military
Careers-Career information on military jobs including training provided and
outlook
- U.S. Air Force-Home of the
Air Force - provides info on the service branch
- U.S. Army-Home of the Army -
provides info on the service branch
- U.S. Coast Guard-Home
of the Coast Guard - provides info on the service branch
- U.S. Marines-Home
of the Marines - provides info on the service branch
- U.S. Navy-Home of
the Navy - provides info on the service branch
Personal/Social Development
School Counselors: preventatively offer school-wide resources such
as classroom guidance lessons to support the personal/social development of all
students and provide short-term individual and group counseling that addresses specific
concerns.
Below you will find additional personal and social resources:
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Information
Bullying Links and Resources
Harford County Public Schools Harassment Report Forms
Cyberbulling
Bully Prevention
- Bullies:
What is Bullying -Series of pages on what bullying is, how to handle it and
how to tell if you are a bully - from PBS Kids It's My Life
- Bullying
-A collection of articles, fact sheets and links from Medline Plus a service of
the National Institutes of Health
-
Bullying: Facts for Families -Fact sheet from the America Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry
- Bullying
in Schools -1997 ERIC Digest
- Bullying in Schools -PowerPoint presentation developed by the
University of MD School Mental Health Program
-
Bullying Intervention Strategies that Work -Article and resources from Education
World
-
Bullying Prevention -Information, links, tips, and resources for parents, students
and schools
- Bullying Publications
and Resources -A collection of resoruces from the California Department of Education
- Bullying: Where Does It End? -PowerPoint presentation from MSDE
Student Services and Alternative Programs Division
-
Dealing with Bullying -Signs and suggestions from TeensHealth
- Early
Intervention and Prevention - Bullying Prevention -Article from Safe and Responsibe
Schools
-
Helping Kids Deal with Bullying -Advice for parents from KidsHealth
-
KidPower -Library of articles on personal safety for children, personal safety
for teens and adults, foundation of safety, harassers and predators
- Operation Respect -educational
resources that are designed to establish a climate that reduces the emotional and
physical cruelty some children inflict upon each other by behaviors such as ridicule,
bullying and-in extreme cases-violence
- Stop Bullying
Now -Information and strategies from a professional counselor and social worker
- Take a Stand Lend
a Hand -Information and games for elementary kids with links for adults from
the Health Resources Services Administration
Character Education
- Character Counts -Information
for implementing the program on which it is based - teaches Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility,
fairness, caring and citizenship
- CharacterEd.net -Site to support
character education with reosurces for parents, teachers and communities
- Character Education Partnership
-Online discussion and resources from the nonprofit dedicated to developing moral
character and civic virtue in our nation's youth as one means of creating a more
compassionate and responsible society
- Good Character.com -Lesson
plans and resources
- Maryland Center for Character
Education -Provides resources to schools, businesses, and community organizations
involved in and concerned with character education
Community and School Resources
Information by Harford County Public Schools
Additional Information
Suicide and Suicide Prevention
- American Association
of Suicidology -Research, resources, publications, and links
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
-Information and resources for the public and professionals
- National Strategy for Suicide
Prevention -Resource center, publications, newsletters, and programs
- National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline -Resources and organizational information
- Self Inflicted
Injury / Suicide -Statistics and information from the CDC
- Speak for Them -Resources,
facts, news for youth and parents from the Baltimore Affiliate of the American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention
- Stop Suicide Today -Information,
resources, and publications from Screening for Mental Health
- Suicide Prevention -Resources and publications from the National
Institute of Mental Health
- Suicide Prevention Action Network
USA -Resources and information
- Yellow Ribbon International
Suicide Prevention Program -Information, resources and link
- Youth Lifesavers -Created
by secondary students to help inform and support their peers
- Youth Suicide Prevention
-Information and resources for youth and adults
