What Counselors Do At OMS

* Counseling *

Your school counselor has a primary obligation to the student, who is to be treated with respect as a unique individual. In the school environment, we are concerned with the educational, academic, career, personal and social needs of each child.

Counseling Ethics - For a description of ethics as identified by the American School Counselor Association

 

* Guidance Outcomes *

OMS 7th Grade Guidance Outcomes

Outcome	How We Deliver The Outcome
Personal/Social: • Identify risk factors and protective factors to promote violence prevention and resiliency.	7th Grade - Counselors present this outcome in cooperation with FACE and Art teachers. Harassment, sexual harassment, and understanting grief are addressed with students. Students explore their personal perspective on these complex issues and explore their own ideas on prevention and self-protection.
Learning: • Identify skills which will contribute to improved school performance.	7th Grade - Early in the schoolyear, counselors present study skills and organizational techniques through core class time.
Career-Vocational: • Identify abilities and skills using assessment resources to begin designing an academic career plan.	8th Grade - Through the required Careers course, students engage in personal career exploration via computer-aided career searches, Q&A sessions with real-life employers and employees, and by evaluating how well various careers align with their uniques skills and interests.

* Support Groups at OMS *

Middle school students are faced with making personal choices to deal with a variety of life situations. Among these are alcohol and other drug use, learning problems, and family & friendship issues. Here in Oregon we want to do our part to equip students with strategies that help them to deal with these issues in positive ways. Among the variety of resources available to students are our support groups.

The OMS Student Services team will offer several small-group counseling opportunities throughout the school year.
Support groups usually meet for a single class period once a week. The meeting time is rotated regularly to ensure that students miss very little time from any one class. Students are required to make up work missed while participating in a support group.

Support groups are a valuable resource for our students and can offer a valuable forum for working on issues with the help of their peers. Referrals for groups come from teachers, parents, or the student themseves.

Participation in support groups is strictly voluntary.

If parents have any questions or concerns and wish to discuss your son or daughter’s involvement in one of these groups, please don’t hesitate to call our counseling department at 835-4810. All information will be treated confidentially and respectfully.
 

Support Group Offerings at OMS

“HIPTO” (Hey, I’m Pretty Ticked Off)
This group is designed to help students who have difficulty controlling their anger. We will discuss feelings, conflict resolution, and communication skills. We will develop positive strategies for coping with their feelings of anger.

Book Reviews
We choose books like Tuesday’s With Morrie, High Five, A Child Called It, Star Girl, etc., and discuss the various issues that are addressed by characters in the book.

Concerned Persons Group
This group is available for students who have experienced problems or concerns stemming from someone else’s alcohol or other drug use.

Drug & Tobacco Information Group (DIG)
This group is for students experiencing problems stemming from their own alcohol, tobacco, or other drug use.

Friendship Groups
This group is available to students who want to develop their abilities to make and keep friends. Separate groups will be available for boys and girls.

Grief/Loss
This group is designed for students who have experienced a recent loss in their family or other significant relationship.

Study Skills Group
In this group, students will investigate a variety of important study skills – note taking, organization, time management, test preparation, long-term project completion, etc.

TGIF (Thank Goodness I’m Female)
This is a young women’s group. We will discuss issues unique to girls and support each other with issues specific to being young women.

“Namaste” ( Wellness)
This group will provide positive experiences in the various techniques students can use to reduce stress, including physical activity, yoga, and relaxation/imagery, that will allow students a chance to release stress & anxiety, set goals, and improve self-awareness