How to Find Help

Where to go to get help:

For academic issues students should go first to their teacher or supervisor. Students should know that if there is an academic issue, the teacher may inform them the supervisor should be involved to broaden the net of support. Most academic issues are addressed by meeting with the teacher and/or supervisor. Major decisions, like bringing parents into the picture, will be done only after the student knows that it is going to happen and why. Parents would be included if a student is in danger of or is failing a course, has some ongoing learning issues that may need to be addressed, or is having a difficult time with a teacher.

For social and emotional issues students should go to a trusted adult in the building. That may be a particular teacher, supervisor or counselor.

The school has 2 full-time counselors available for listening, strategizing, brainstorming, or intervening on your behalf if you wish. Unless a student's physical or emotional well-being is in danger, these conversations are confidential.

Many students go to a counselor because they are worried about a friend. If you come in worried about a friend, the counselor will work together with you to seek support for that friend.

Some students worry that seeking advice or support from a counselor may somehow stigmatize them in the eyes of others in the building. It is quite natural, however, for everyone and anyone to need to talk things out at times in her life. The goal is to address things, before they become more of a problem or more of a barrier to your well-being, with someone experienced in problem-solving.

Some reasons to see the counselor (an asterisk marks a reason why the counselor will have to involve parents):

• friendship issues
• family problems (divorce, illness of sibling or parent, lack of family support, poor family communication at home)
• feelings of sadness, difficulty sleeping fatigue, loss of or increase in appetite, loss of interest in things you used to like, moodiness
• *suicidal thoughts or ideas about dying by suicide
• eating issues (either your own or your friend's)
• extreme worry or stress that rarely seems to leave you
• stress about schoolwork, academic achievement or college pressure, student-teacher relationships
• relationships (with peers, with adults, dating, etc.)
• substance abuse (yours or a friend's)
• *physical or sexual abuse (to you or someone you know)
• verbal abuse
• issues of sex and sexuality
• questions about sexual orientation
• *self-injury (e.g. cutting)
• pressures related to being and/or feeling different in some way from peers