Counseling Groups

First year students meet in Freshman Counseling Groups once a week to tackle adjustment issues, develop study skill strategies, explore learning styles and discuss various topics related to high school life. In addition to activities aimed at increasing academic success, students discuss the social adjustment to high school, including balancing work and play, negotiating the complexities of friendships, and coping with peer pressure. An emphasis is placed on self-advocacy and gaining a better understanding of self and of relationships to others. Individual meetings with the freshman counselor provide an opportunity to discuss successes and concerns.

Sophomore Counseling Groups meet once every 10 days to build on the information generated in the Freshman Counseling groups. Discussions include handling increased academic expectations, time management, strategies for taking standardized tests, and specific issues related to the second year of high school. Students also begin to explore career choices, a task that is facilitated by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which provides individual feedback about their interests and preferences as they prepare to explore their college options in the junior year.