Guidance and Mental Health

What is School Counseling?

According the American School Counselors Association, School Counselors are uniquely qualified to work with students to address and solve academic hardships, support social and emotional growth of students and assist with career and college readiness to prepare students for the world beyond.

Visit the American School Counselors Association homepage to learn more.

Habersham Success Academy School Counseling Mission Statement

My mission as school counselor at Habersham Success Academy is to provide a comprehensive school counseling program that attends to the personal/social, academic and college and career planning of all students. Services include group and individual counseling, academic support, crisis intervention, career and college planning and student advocacy. My goal is to help all students succeed. Our mission at HSA is to provide the opportunity for students to develop intellectually, socially, emotionally and ethically. We strive to ensure that all of our students are actively engaged in learning and are respectful and responsible problem solvers, enabling them to become productive members of the community, equipped to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. Our mission and our goals will be supported and further strengthened by consultation with teachers, staff, administrators, parents and community advocates.

Confidentiality Statement

School counselors recognize their primary obligation for confidentiality is to the student but balance that obligation with an understanding of the family or guardians’ legal and inherent rights to be the guiding voice in their children’s lives (ASCA Code of Ethics).
The role of the school counselor in regards to confidentiality is:

To support the students right to privacy and protect confidential information received from students, the family, guardian and staff members
To explain the meaning and limits of confidentiality to students in developmentally appropriate terms
To provide appropriate disclosure and informed consent regarding the counseling relationship and confidentiality
To inform students and the family of the limits to confidentiality when: Student poses a danger to self or others, Court ordered disclosure, Consultation with other professionals in support of the student i.e. colleagues, supervisors, treatment teams, and other support personnel
To keep personal notes separate from educational records and not disclose their contents except when privacy exceptions exist
To seek guidance from supervisors and appropriate legal advice when their records are subpoenaed
To assert their belief that information shared by students is “confidential” and should not be revealed without the student’s consent
To adhere to all laws protecting student records, health information, and special services (i.e., HIPAA, FERPA, IDEA)