Counselor Johnson

“You’re changing schools!” can get a mix of reactions from students.  Some may be happy or excited for a change.  Others may feel the change is unfair, get angry, or feel sad because they will miss their friends and the place they feel comfortable.  They may be worried about making friends or that they may get lost at their new school.  They may tell you every single day why they don’t want to change schools and beg you to change your mind (or change the school district’s mind) or they may not say anything at all.  Sometimes, it is their behavior that will tell you that they are struggling with this change.  Whatever your child is feeling about the change is okay and they need to know that their feelings are validated.  Listen. But, they also need to know that change is part of life.  We cannot avoid it and it is through change that we grow the most.    This is a change we can’t control. ...

I am so excited to be starting a new therapy dog program at my current school. Believe me the students are excited, too!  The parents and teachers are, too.  Therapy dogs in schools can help reduce stress and anxiety among students, improve attendance, help teach social skills, increase confidence in reading, and encourage students to talk about their emotions.  This year, I have volunteers from a therapy dog organization that are visiting our school as we learn the best practices for having a therapy dog in our school.  They've been working with our RTI Reading Intervention Groups.  They've met with students with attendance problems.  They've visited classrooms and worked with me with groups in my office.  I'm excited to have a dog as my counseling partner next year.  Read more about our Therapy Dog Program on my website.    Here's a picture of our dog that is in training right now! What should we name him?