Direct Services Provided by your School Counselor
Your School Counselor functions in many capacities. Ms Cocca provides provides support to students, parents, families, the school staff and community. Please read below for a description of these Direct Services.
Individual and Small Group Counseling & Conflict Mediation
Individual Counseling - Individual counseling is available to all students to address social, emotional, behavioral, and/or academic needs. Students can be self-referred, referred by teachers or referred by a parent/guardian. The goal of individual counseling is to build on the existing strength of the student, identify areas in need of support and provide strategies to address needs. I work collaboratively with parents and teachers as needed, create and monitor goals for each student.
*Confidentiality - Confidentiality is an important component of the counseling relationship. However, students are informed at the beginning of the counseling relationship that there are three exceptions to confidentiality:
1) the student reveals they wish to do harm to themselves,
2) the student reveals that someone is harming the student or another student, and/or
3) someone else's safety is threatened.
I encourage students to share with their parent and/or teachers, and ask for student permission to share information if it is relevant to a third party.
Small Group Counseling - Group counseling is especially helpful when students share a common concern or challenge. For students of all ages it is helpful to meet together to share ideas and support one another. Groups are organized by age/developmental level and typically last for a duration of 6-8 meetings. Possible group topics include: Anger Management, Social Skills, Goal Setting, Divorce, Grief and Stress Management. I like to hold groups during the lunch period and try my best to not interrupt instructional time.
Conflict Mediation - The process of conflict mediation occurs between two or more students involved in a dispute. Students can meet in a private and safe setting to work out problems with the assistance of the School Counselor. Staff and/or parents may refer students for conflict mediation and/or students can self refer.
Classroom Guidance Lessons & Academic, Career & High School Guidance
Classroom Guidance Lessons - At times, classroom guidance lessons will be an appropriate and very helpful method to address a specific need for an entire classroom. I work collaboratively with the classroom teacher to provide these lessons. Lesson topics range from: bullying, safe touch, study skills, character education, etc. The aim of each lesson is to have a high level of student interaction and for students to learn a new skill or acquire new knowledge.
Academic, Career & High School Guidance - I am available to discuss academic services, career opportunities and to provide guidance for the School Selection Process. The process can be confusing, especially if you are doing it for the first time. I am available to meet with you and your student to thoroughly explain the process. It is best to start preparing for this process at the beginning of the middle school years, as the student's 7th grade PSSA scores, subject grades, and attendance will be the information High Schools look at for admittance. Information on this process will be available on this website as well as distributed as soon as it's made available by the School District of Philadelphia. I am also available to introduce, discuss and guide students regarding academic, career, and post-high school opportunities.
Crisis Counseling and Intervention
At times, students will experience crisis. When this occurs, I am available to assist with stabilizing behavior (when possible) and ensuring the safety of the student. I use calming and de-escalation techniques, elicit assistance/consultation from team members, process the situation with the student, and contact parents/guardians when a student presents a crisis situation. Examples of such situations include: suicide ideation, threat of self injury or threat of injury to others, escalated behavior that puts the student or others in danger, etc.
I meet with the student and the parents/guardian to make recommendations and create a safety plan. The safety of our students is my primary concern and it is best practice to create a safety plan after dangerous/concerning behaviors are presented. If your child has a history of any of the behaviors listed above, please let me know so we can be proactive in creating a safety plan and positive support plan.
Please note - based on the severity and intensity of the presenting concern, the parent/guardian may be asked to take the student to the nearest emergency response center in order to be formally assessed. Please see below:
Philadelphia Children's Crisis Response Center (click link for information)
3300 Henry Avenue, Falls Center 2, Suite 3N, Philadelphia, PA 19129
OPEN 24 HOURS
Phone: (215) 878-2600
Parents can call the Philadelphia Crisis Response Line 24 hour mental health delegate line (click for more information)
for a variety of crisis-related services including:
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On-site assessment and crisis intervention (can come to home)
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Consultation and guidance on referrals, next steps
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Referral to a nearby crisis center
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Call: 215-685-6440
Additional recommendations may be made depending on the severity and urgency of the situation.
Please see RESOURCE TAB for additional resources and information on behavioral health crises
Positive Behavior Support Plans
At times, students struggle to reach their full academic potential due to a behavioral barrier. I am available to consult with the parent, the teacher, and the student about these barriers and help to create a Positive Behavior Support Plan. Myself and other team members will observe the student in a variety of settings in order to:
1) Understand the context in which the behavior is presented,
2) Identify antecedents and reinforcers of the problematic behavior and
3) Start to understand the function of the behavior.
Once this data is collected, I will meet with the teacher and parent in order to discuss observations and, together, create realistic goals for the student by identifying positive replacement behaviors. Myself, the teacher, parent and student will then work together to identify interventions and strategies to reach goals and improve behavior. Positive Behavior Support Plans work best when the entire team is involved and I am happy to be a part of this team and help alleviate any barriers to student learning. If you have any questions about this service, please ask!