Coping Skills and Strategies Space

At INGDA, your middle school counseling team is here to support you as you grow academically, socially, and emotionally. This page is a place to share helpful resources, coping strategies, mindfulness tools, and skills you can use when school, friendships, or big feelings start to feel overwhelming.

Each grade level has a dedicated counselor who is here to listen, guide, and support you throughout the year: Mrs. Wilson (6th Grade), Mrs. Marcum (7th Grade), and Mrs. Andres (8th Grade).

Our goal is to help you build confidence, manage stress, solve problems, and feel supported, because every student deserves a trusted adult in their corner. We’re glad you’re here and hope these tools help you feel more calm, connected, and ready to take on your day.

- Your INGDA Middle School Counselors

Click on the photos to learn about your school counselors.

Your school counseling team is available Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM (ET). You can reach us by phone, text, or email. We’re here for you at school whenever you need to talk, get support, or share a concern. You never have to handle big things on your own.

Need Help After Hours? 👉 If this is a true emergency, please call 911 immediately.

If it’s after school hours and not a crisis or emergency, leave us a message, text, or email, and we will get back to you first thing on the next business day.

If you are experiencing an after-hours crisis or prefer to get support anonymously, the contacts below can connect you with trained counselors 24/7. They’re ready to listen and support you through whatever you’re facing. These services offer Call, Text, Chat, and Deaf/HoH options.

• 988lifeline.org
• crisistextline.org
• 24/7 Suicide Hotline for LGBTQ Youth - We’re here for you Now

As your school counseling team, we’re here to support students with their academic success, personal growth, and future goals. While we’re not mental health counselors, we do offer short-term individual counseling, crisis response, and a variety of small support groups to help students build important skills and navigate life’s challenges.

⚡ Unscheduled Pop‑In Support

Need a quick chat? Pop‑in support is for short, unscheduled check‑ins when something comes up and you want to talk to a counselor right away. You can request a quick conversation, and your counselor can send you a virtual meeting link so you can connect fast and get support in the moment.

💬 Short‑Term Individual Counseling Support

Short‑term individual counseling gives you a chance to meet one‑on‑one with a school counselor to talk about things that matter to you. These meetings usually happen every other week and focus on helping you build confidence, solve problems, and handle challenges in healthy ways.

🧠 Small Group Counseling Support

Small group counseling brings together a few students who share similar experiences or goals. Groups meet once a week for 6–8 weeks, and we schedule them based on when students are available. The first round of groups usually starts after Fall Break, and the next round begins in the Spring Semester. It’s a great way to learn new skills, connect with others, and realize you’re not alone.

Some previous small group topics include:

• Emotional Awareness/Regulation
• Anger Management
• Anxiety and Stress
• Grief and Loss, Transitions (Major Life Changes)
• Leadership/Self-Esteem
• LGBTQ Support
• Friendship
• Mindfulness
• And more! Topics vary based on individualized need.

📝 Interested in Short‑Term Individual Counseling or Small Groups?

• Individual Counseling Sign Ups: You can sign up for individual counseling with your grade-level school counselor at any time throughout the school year.
• Small Group Sign Ups: During registration periods, we’ll email you the links to sign up. You can also find them anytime on your counselor’s Announcements page.

Use the links below to request services: *Contact your counselor for pop-in support.

👉 6th Grade Individual Counseling Request Form

👉 7th Grade Individual Counseling Request Form

👉 8th Grade Individual Counseling Request Form

👉 Group Counseling Interest Form (coming soon...)

🌟 We’re here to support every student’s journey. Whether you need a quick check‑in, a group connection, or help navigating tough moments, your school counselors are just a form away!

Need a break, feeling stressed, or just want a calm place to reset?

The Virtual Counseling Office is a safe, calming space created just for you by your school counselors. Inside, you’ll find coping skills, relaxation activities, videos, games, and strategies to help you manage stress, practice new skills, or simply recharge. Visit anytime you need a brain break, some support, or a moment to relax.

How to use this room: Click on the items around the room to explore coping skills, relaxation activities, videos, games, and strategies. These tools can help you manage stress, practice new skills, or simply recharge.

Quote: “Pause. Breathe. Then choose your next move.”

Self-Care Activity: Big feelings can show up fast, especially online, during class, or when something feels unfair. This week, try the STOPP Strategy to help you slow things down:

S – Stop what you’re doing.

T – Take a breath. Inhale slowly, then exhale.

O – Observe what you’re feeling and thinking.

P – Pull back. Ask yourself, “Is there another way to look at this?”

P – Proceed with a choice that helps you, not hurts you.

Before reacting, take just a few seconds to STOPP. That small pause can help you make calmer choices, feel more in control, and avoid saying or doing something you might regret later.

👉 Check out this short video to learn more about STOPP and how to use it:

Guided Breathing for Anxiety: A simple breathing exercise to quickly ease physical tension for reduced anxiety with Dr. Julie Smith.

Body Scan for Anxiety: A three-minute guided practice from Tamara Levitt to help center and bring to the present.

Break the Stress Cycle: A counting practice led by Jeff Warren designed to help you find a sense of calm and grounding.

5 Steps to Less Stress: A grounding exercise that utilizes the five senses led by Chibs Okereke.

Ocean Waves: Listen to the soothing and relaxing sounds of ocean waves and enjoy a feeling of ease from the strain of stress.

The Emotion Isn’t You: Jay Shetty shares a guided practice to help separate emotions from the understanding of who we are.

Shift Your Self-Talk: A practice to help reframe one's inner monologue from Calm’s Chief Purpose Officer, Jay Shetty.

The Nordland Night Train Sleep Story: A bedtime story about traveling the scenic coast of Norway. Read by Eric Braa.

Beauty and the Beast Sleep Story: Drift to sleep with a classic fairytale with beloved characters read by Alan Sklar.

Daily Move with Mel Mah: Let go of physical tension and uplift your mood with this full body movement exercise.

The Dougy Center specializes in grief support for children and families. Their website includes customizable activities, conversation guides, and memorial ideas that you may explore at your own pace.

• Website: About Us | Dougy Center

• Customizable Resource Center: Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families | Portland, OR

• Resources for Teens: Grief Support for Teens | Dougy Center

• Resources for Parents & Caregivers: Grief Support for Parents & Caregivers | Dougy Center

*More resources can be found in our Interactive Counseling Support Library. Click here to access.

Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between is a gentle book that helps us understand the life cycle of all living things. Through simple language and examples from nature like plants, animals, and people, the story explains that every living thing has a beginning, a lifetime where it grows and changes, and an ending. This read-aloud can help students think about life, change, and loss in a calm and thoughtful way, while reminding us that every lifetime is special and meaningful.

The Invisible String is a comforting story about the special connections we share with the people we love. In the book, two children learn that even when someone they care about is far away, or when they can’t be together, an invisible string of love still connects them. This read-aloud reminds us that love can stretch across any distance and that we are never truly alone.

Testing season is coming, and we’ve put together a one-stop spot to help students and learning coaches feel more prepared and supported. 🎯 CLICK HERE to explore your MS Testing Supports & Information Newsletter!

Inside the newsletter, you’ll find:

• ✅ Learning Coach Checklist – Everything you need to help your student get ready

• 🎥 Learning Coach Video Series – Quick tips for guiding students through test day

• 📝 Student Test Day Checklist – Step-by-step for a smoother in-person experience

• 🧠 Videos on Test Mindset – “Your Brain Works Even When You’re Nervous” & “You Don’t Need to Be Perfect”

• 💪 Body & Brain Prep Tips – “Prepare Your Body, Not Just Your Brain”

• ✌🏻 Test Day Reset Strategies – Quick ways to calm nerves and refocus

• 📞 Who to Contact for Support – Know exactly where to turn if you need help

Take a few minutes to explore, it’s like a toolkit to help you and your student feel ready for test day!

Help is available in your neighborhood! Findhelp has local resources for mental health services, food pantries, meal programs, housing, financial assistance, health care, legal assistance, transportation, and more. Just click the link to get started!

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