Counseling Services:

We have two school counselors at Horace Mann who offer services in the following areas:

Classroom Lessons: We teach social/emotional and academic skills lessons in every classroom several times a month. Topics include: bullying prevention, calming stategies, skills for learning (focusing, listening), personal safety, 5th grade transition to Middle School, and much more!

Small Groups: Parents or teachers can refer students for small group skills work. Small groups meet for 20-30 minutes per week, for 6-8 weeks. Topics vary but may include: family change, emotional regulation, growth mindset, or friendship skills.

Individual Skills Work: We meet with students one-on-one for a variety of reasons. Parents or teachers can refer students, or students can ask to see us on their own. Individual sessions might focus on worries, family change, making positive choices at school, or peer conflict. Our individual work with students is not therapy, but it is confidential.  It is brief and solution-focused. We are happy to help make referrals to therapy providers that may meet with students at school, in the home or in a community setting.

We also meet individually with every 5th grader to start talking about the middle school transition early in the school year and set academic and personal goals for their 5th grade year. Families are able to see what goals their child sets through the Xello family portal.