High School Counseling

The High School Counselor assists in meeting the needs of students, parents, and faculty by offering supportive and responsive services. The High School Counselor also manages the accommodations program at Wesleyan and general guidance topics addressed to the student body.
This comprehensive counseling program consists of four components: guidance curricula, individual counseling, responsive services, and system support.

List of 4 items.

  • Program Components

    Grade Chairs serve as the first line of communication with parents and faculty about issues that affect the academic performance of the student. They advise, challenge, encourage, and nurture students as they set and attempt to reach their own goals; they also encourage the development of class unity and a sense of community. In conjunction with the principal and college counselors, Grade Chairs devise the best program of study and most effective policies for students’ academic progress.
    Grade Chairs also work closely with the guidance counselor to address social, emotional, and developmental concerns of students.
    The Grade Chair team is split between male and female to give increased attention to individual gender needs as students go through various social changes.

  • Academic Accommodations

    The following resources for academic support are available to all Wesleyan students:
    • Writing Lab
    • Math Lab
    • Tablet computers
    • Computer software in math and writing

    In addition, accommodations and/or modifications will be available to Wesleyan students who have submitted the following required documentation of learning disabilities:
    • A complete psychoeducational evaluation completed by a licensed psychologist within the last five years
    • Achievement, IQ, and/or Aptitude Test data completely listed within evaluation
    • A specific DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) diagnosis
      Because emotional and mood disorders (such as anxiety and depression) are diagnoses that can be remediated through avenues such as therapy and counseling, these diagnoses will require annual renewals comprised of two elements.  The first element should include documentation from the doctor or psychologist describing the current impact of the student’s disability as it affects their academic performance, and should document the need for ongoing accommodations.  The second element should include documentation of therapeutic efforts provided to address the student’s needs. 
    • Recommendations for services and/or accommodations for the classroom.
    Wesleyan will offer the following accommodations within the classroom if they are consistent with specific recommendations included in the student’s psychoeducational evaluation:
    Physical Accommodations
    • Preferential Seating (near teacher, between well-focused students, away from distractions i.e. windows, hallways, etc.)
    • Extra seat or table space for expanding work area when possible.
     
    Instructional Accommodations
    • Extended time (not to exceed 50% of the original time) on timed quizzes, tests, and exams
    • Technological learning aids including digital/tape recorders (with acknowledgement by teacher), laptop computers for the essay portions of tests and exams, audiobooks for homework and when instructed by the teacher
    • Permission to use notes (verified by the teacher) as a supplemental source of information to a student’s own personal notes (note-taking buddy to fill in gaps).
    • No penalties will be given for spelling errors on in-class writing assignments, essays, tests, exams, and quizzes. Assignments will be graded on content. When grading content, the teacher should be able to identify/sound out the word as it is written. If the teacher cannot, the student will be asked to identify the word. If the student cannot identify the word, it will be considered incorrect.
      • This is only granted to K-12 students who have been diagnosed (by a licensed/school psychologist) with a reading disorder/dyslexia, written expression disorder, or a phonological processing disability, and whose written psycho-educational report recommends a spelling accommodation.
      • Spelling errors noted in MCL courses may receive a deduction of a maximum of five percent.
    • Those students in the high school who have a diagnosis of a Specific Learning Disorder in Reading, Dyslexia, or a Reading Disorder, in which the disorder specifically impairs the ability to learn language, may choose to take their third year of a foreign language for a pass/fail credit instead of a letter grade.       This accommodation will only be offered if:
    • The psychoeducational evaluation on file specifically documents that the diagnosed reading disorder inhibits the ability to learn a foreign language
    • The recommendation for an adjusted foreign language requirement is specified in the psychoeducational evaluation on file
     
    Behavioral Accommodations
    • Cueing procedures (i.e. nodding to student, gently placing hand on student’s shoulder) privately agreed upon with the student to help maintain focus
    • Additional appropriate movement throughout the classroom (ie, brain break) when possible

  • Suggested Websites

  • Suggested Reading

    • Ending the Homework Hassle – John Rosemond
    • Taking Charge of ADHD – Barkley
    • Driven to Distraction – Hallowell & Ratey
    • The Anger Workbook – Carter & Minerth
    • The Anxiety Cure – Archibald D. Hart
    • Stress Test – Thomas A. Whiteman & Randy Peterson
    • Where is God When it Hurts? – Philip Yancy
    • The Lies We Believe – Chris Thurman
    • Hope, Help & Healing for Eating Disorders – Jantz
    • Surviving an Eating Disorder: Strategies for Family and Friends – Seigel, Brisman, Weinshel
    • Reviving Ophelia – Mary Pipher
    • The Five Love Languages of Teenagers – Gary Chapman
    • Children at Risk – James Dobson
    • The Parent’s Handbook – Don Dinkmeyer & Gary McKay (natural and logical consequences)
    • Blessings of a Skinned Knee – Wendy Mogel, PhD
    • The New Dare to Discipline – Dobson
    • Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys – Kindlan & Thompson
    • Understanding Your Child’s Personality – Stoop
    • Raising Kids to Love Jesus – H. Norman Wright
    • The Divorce Recovery Sourcebook – Dawn Bradley Berry
    • Helping Children Survive Divorce – Dr. Archibald Hart
    • On Children and Death – Elizabeth Kubler Ross, MD
    • Search for Significance – Larry Crabb
    • Victims No Longer – Michael Lew
    • The Healing Path – Allender
    • The Obsessive-Compulsive Trap – Dr. Mark Crawford
    • Skills for School Success – Anita Archer
    • Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet – Linda Criddle
    • Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly – Nancy E. Willard

List of 2 members.

  • Photo of Heidi Lloyd

    Heidi Lloyd 

    High School Counselor
  • Photo of Amy Barrett

    Amy Barrett 

    High School Counselor

    • Brian_L_Morgan_20181018DJI_0002

phone: 770.448.7640