Nevada Community School District School Counseling Program

Mission Statement

School counselors in Nevada prepare students today for tomorrow by providing opportunities to all students to grow academically, socially, and emotionally in ways that will help them be successful in their communities, careers, and relationships.

Vision Statement

The NCSD school counselors envision a future where our students demonstrate self-awareness, can self-regulate, engage in social awareness, develop successful relationships, and make responsible decisions so that they can live a happy, healthy, and safe life. We envision our students to be motivated to be compassionate, kind, empathetic, self-confident, and problem solvers to positively impact our society.

The Nevada Community School District School Counselors believe

  • All students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally to become productive citizens (#1)
  • A school counseling program is developmental in design, preventative in nature and serves all students and is addressed based on their needs (#2)
  • A school counselor advocates for the differing needs of each student to help support the students academic, social, and emotional growth (#3)
  • School counselor programs are run by trained, master’s level school counselors in collaboration with students, faculty, administration, and parents (#4)
  • Perception, process, and outcome data are used to drive program goals and guide decisions (#5)
  • All the decisions made by school counselors should be guided by the Ethical Standards established by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) (#6)

All Nevada Community School District counselors are

  • Professionals with a Master’s degree in school counseling
  • License from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners
  • Professionals who demonstrate knowledge and skills
  • Provide a critical link to student success

Counseling Programs are Delivered by

CURRICULUM

  • Lessons designed for achievement of knowledge, attitude and skills in academic and career success and personal and social development
  • Classroom instruction
  • Outcome-based lessons
  • Interdisciplinary curriculum
  • Group activities
  • Family workshops

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PLANNING

  • Helps personalize education for all students
  • Career counseling and curriculum
  • Career/occupation information
  • Work-based learning opportunities
  • Academic goals
  • Comprehensive transition planning and support
  • Individual core curriculum plan

RESPONSIVE SERVICES

  • A plan that meets the immediate needs of students
  • Individual and small group counseling
  • Crisis counseling and response
  • Consultation
  • Referrals for students and families to community resources
  • Relationships and conflict management

SYSTEM SUPPORT

  • Activities that establish, maintain and enhance the Comprehensive School Counseling Program:
    • Professional development
    • Consultation, collaboration and teaming
    • School improvement involvement
    • Data gathering and interpretation
    • Family involvement
    • Community outreach

Nevada Community School District counseling services facilitate student development in three broad domains

Academic Development

  • Effective learning in school and throughout life
  • Academic preparation for post-secondary options
  • Relationships among academics, work, family and community life

Career Development

  • Investigate career options to make informed decisions
  • Strategize to achieve future career goals
  • Relationships among personal qualities, education, training and work

Personal/Social Development

  • Interpersonal skills to respect self and others
  • Decision making, setting goals and taking action to achieve goals
  • Understanding everyday safety and survival skills as well as coping strategies