Our Mission

The vision of the Brown Middle School Student Services department is to actively engage and empower all students to become lifelong learners and productive members of society. Our mission is to provide comprehensive services in the areas of academic, personal/social, and career development. We will meet student needs through the use of individual and group counseling, classroom guidance, as well as collaboration between home, school, and community.  

As school counselors at Brown Middle school, we abide by the professional school counselor ethics as advocated by the American School Counselor Association. 

Information shared to a counselor during a counseling session is treated with the utmost respect. What is said during a counseling session stays between the counselor and the student. However, by law, we are ethically required to inform someone if a student reports they are planning to hurt themselves, hurt someone, or if someone is hurting them. We must also turn over records if they should be subpoenaed by a court of law. 

We Believe:

Diversity is to be respected and appreciated.
All students have the ability to learn.
All students have the right to be supported academically.
All students have the right to a safe and mutually respectful learning environment.
All students have dignity and worth and deserve to be respected and appreciated.
All students should have access to our counseling services.

Counseling Services

At Brown Middle School we strive to provide comprehensive counseling services to all students based on social, emotional, academic and career needs.  The following is a list of some of the services that we provide:

Individual Counseling - We see students one-on-one, usually by appointment.  Students may self-refer or be referred by a teacher, parent/guardian, family member or peer.  We typically see students for one-on-one counseling approximately 3-5 times.  If necessary we refer students and families for outside counseling.  (Please see the Community Resources page for a list of local counseling agencies).  Some of the topics that we typically cover with middle school students on a one-on-one basis are:  bullying, conflict with friends, anxiety/depression, organization/study skills, self-esteem, coping skills, assertiveness skills and self-harm.    

Group Counseling - Group counseling is provided in a small, intimate setting of about 6-8 students.  Group counseling is a more efficient way for us to reach a greater number of students in less time than it takes to see students individually.  We base the formation of our groups on the current needs of students.  Group counseling is also a great way for students to talk to peers dealing with the same issues as them in a safe, confidential environment.  Students may self-refer to group counseling or they may be referred by a teacher/ parent. 

Classroom Guidance Lessons - At different times throughout the year we may be entering classrooms to teach various character education lessons as well as topics related to current student needs.

Mediation - Mediation is a tool that we use to bring students together who are experiencing a peer conflict. Mediation works well when we have students with similar amounts of power and social status.  We do not bring a "bully" in and do mediation with a "victim" as other methods have been found to be more effective.  During mediation we typically have each student involved identify the problem as they see it, without placing blame on others.  We then have students brainstorm possible solutions to the problems, evaluate each option, discuss potential road blocks and identify a final plan that works best for the students.

Consultative Services

As middle school counselors we consult with parents/guardians, teachers, administration and community supports on a daily basis.  We meet with parents/guardians to discuss academic concerns as well as behavior and social concerns.  We sit in on conferences with teachers and parents/guardians and we meet with teachers individually to discuss student achievement.  If you are interested in scheduling a meeting please contact the main office (336) 475-8845 and ask for the appropriate counselor.