Counseling

My name is Sheila Unsworth. As the counselor at Northlake Elementary School, my goal is to help every student feel safe, happy, and ready to learn by teaching them social and emotional skills to overcome the obstacles they face. I am here to listen, support, problem-solve, and guide students to make the best choices for themselves. Sheila Unsworth Northlake Elementary School sunsworth@tooeleschools.org 435-833-1940 ext. 1642

Each month during our Armor Up Assemblies, a new character trait is introduced. After the assembly, the character trait is taught in more depth to each individual class, with an art project to follow. The character traits we will focus on this year are:
i. Respect for Self and Others
ii. Good Manners
iii. Positive Attitude Toward Learning
iv. Engage in Challenging Work
v. Making Good Choices
vi. Perseverance
vii. Overcoming Barriers
viii. Empathy

Small group counseling will be conducted on a grade level basis, and will serve students who have specific needs. Parent consent is required. Topics for each group may include, but are not limited to:
i. Divorce
ii. Anxiety
iii. Grief and Loss
iv. Resiliency
v. Conflict Resolution
vi. New Students
vii. Bullying
viii. Social Skills
ix. Manners
x. Friendship
xi. Anger Management
xii. Respect
xiii. Academic Excellence

This year I am excited to offer Lunch Bunches. The purpose of a lunch bunch is to build counselor-student rapport and foster friendships and trust among students. Students will eat their lunch with a small group of peers in the counseling office. While eating, they will play games and get to know each other better, after which they will join their class at recess. A signed parent consent is required for a student to participate.

a. School counseling services at Northlake Elementary offer short-term solutions-focused counseling. Therapy of any kind is not offered. The counselor will listen, empathize, and teach strategies and interventions to overcome their concerns. Continuous services with a student will require parent consent. This is a list of topics that are common to speak to a counselor about, but the list is not exhaustive.
i. Making Friends
ii. Liking Myself
iii. Getting Along With Others
iv. Parents Getting Divorced
v. Being a “New Kid”
vi. Bullying
vii. Grief
viii. Abuse
ix. Being Honest
x. Drug and Alcohol Abuse
xi. Anger