September Counseling Corner

I'm excited to share this month's edition of the Counseling Corner with you! This newsletter is designed to keep you informed and equipped with resources to support your child's social-emotional wellbeing and academic success. Each month, you'll find practical tips, helpful resources, and important updates from the counseling office. My goal is to partner with you in helping your child thrive both in and out of the classroom. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions of concerns - I'm here to support your family!

My name is Gillian Porter and I am so excited to be returning as NRES-AM School Counselor this year! I have had the joy of serving our Champions since January 2025, and I cannot wait to see what this school year holds!

I attended the University of South Carolina for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees - go gamecocks! I am excited to support your students in reaching their full potential. I'm looking forward to getting to know you and working to make this a great school year!

B.A. in Clinical Psychology

Ed.S. in Counselor Education, K-12 School Counseling

As a school counselor, I provide help in 3 major domains:

• Social-emotional
• Academic
• College and Career

The main ways that I provide support are through:

• Monthly classroom lessons
• Small group counseling
• Individual counseling
• School-wide activities
• Parent and teacher consultation
• And more!

I don't have a magic wand, or a crystal ball, or all the answers; but, I do have ears to listen, a heart to care, and time to give. I am thankful to be your school counselor!

This year, I'm excited to use The Zones of Regulation, a curriculum to support your learner's social and emotion development and regulation skills! The Zones of Regulation provides a simple way for learners to understand, communicate around, and care for their feelings. This curriculum uses evidence-based practices, strategies, and activities to build skills that are essential for well-being. As I visit each classroom monthly for counseling lessons, the Zones of Regulation will guide instruction.

Over the course of this year, we will

• Explore feelings and build emotional awareness
• Recognize body signals related to our feelings
• Identify situations and triggers that impact our feelings
• Explore a variety of regulation tools
• Pause to problem-solve before acting on our impulses

Together, we will practice regulate feelings and behaviors in real-time and reflecting on if our regulation is working well for us.

We start off simple, by learning what the word regulation means - being able to adjust or control something so it works well. There are many ways your learner is already regulating, such as:

• Eating a snack when they're hungry
• Drinking water when they're thirst
• Taking a nap when they're tired
• Taking a deep breath when feelings get big

Your involvement is essential for your learner to successfully apply what they are learning about. Be on the lookout for a Zones Bridge each month in this newsletter that summarizes what we are learning and ways to practice together.

Please reach out with any questions. I look forward to exploring emotional regulation with your learner!

Coffee with the Counselor is a mini parent workshop held 4 times a year on various topics. Each session will include a short presentation, tip sheet to bring home, Q&A session, as well as resource lists. You can attend these events in person or online. Our first session will be September 9th at 8 a.m., and we'll be covering regulation and coping strategies! If you're interested in attending, please fill out the RSVP here: https://forms.gle/xng7p36F95rD1U7CA.

Couldn't make it? No worries! Slides and tip sheets from sessions will be shared on the school counseling websites.

🗣️ "My student has anxiety about school"
🏠 "We're dealing with family challenges"
📚 "My student feels behind academically"
💬 "I just need to talk to someone"

Reach out! I am always here to listen and support your student and your family. Even if I don't have all the answers, I promise we can find them together. Support is only an email or phone call away!

Email: gporter@lexrich5.org

Counseling Website: https://sites.google.com/lexrich5.org/nres-school-counseling/home

Phone: 803-476-4378