Hoover City Schools

Counseling Services

School counselors design and deliver comprehensive school counseling programs in three critical areas:  academic, personal/social, and career.  These three areas, which promote student achievement, are designed to help students resolve emotional, social, or behavioral problems, and they also help students develop a clearer focus or sense of direction. 

Comprehensive in scope, preventive in design, and developmental in nature, school counseling programs in Hoover City Schools follow both the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model:  A Framework for School Counseling Programs and the Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance State Model for Alabama Public Schools. 

The school counseling program is implemented and delivered in each school by the certified school counselor(s) with the support of teachers, administrators, students, and parents.  Equipped with a total of 35 counselors and college & career specialist, Hoover City School employees provide services to students through four program components: guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support. 

The school guidance curriculum includes classroom and large group activities from kindergarten through twelfth grade, with an emphasis on decision-making; self-understanding; study skills; and career exploration, preparation, and planning.
The individual planning component of the comprehensive school counseling program includes activities that provide every student with an opportunity to plan, monitor, and manage their academic, career, and personal/social development.  Individual student planning emphasizes test interpretation, while academic counseling includes post-secondary education, career/technical education, and career planning. 

A significant portion of the school counselor’s day is spent on responsive services.  These services include counseling or referral activities to meet the immediate needs and concerns of students.  Responsive services include personal counseling, problem solving, agency referral, and consultation.

System support includes indirect guidance management activities that maintain and enhance the total school counseling and guidance program.  Responsibilities in this component include staff relations, community relations, task forces, professional development, support teams, test interpretation, data analysis, and curriculum development. 

It should be understood that a comprehensive school counseling program is an integral component of the school’s academic mission.  Comprehensive school counseling programs, driven by student data and based on standards in academic, career, and personal/social development, promote and enhance the learning process for all students. 

Services provided include:

• Small Group Counseling
• Classroom Guidance
• Individual Counseling
  • Academic Improvement
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Grief & Loss
  • Goal Setting
  • College & Career Exploration

Mental Health Opt-In Notification and Forms

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