MJHS Counseling Department

Counseling Corner Newsletter - End of Year Stress

Entering middle school comes with a lot of different experiences such as more teachers, more expectations, and new friends. Middle school drama is a real thing. We have noticed an increase in drama, whether it is between good friends or just peers. Increasing empathy for others can help decrease the amount of time we spend in drama.

MJHS Counselors -

The Counseling Department is offering several groups for students during their lunch period. Here are the groups being offered this year based on need:

  • Grade level girls groups that will discuss self-esteem, building positive peer relationships, conflict management, and coping skills for stress/anxiety.

  • Grade level boys groups that will discuss building positive peer relationships, conflict management, and coping skills for stress/anxiety

  • Grade level executive functioning groups that will discuss organization, time management, task management. 

The counseling groups typically run 6-8 weeks at a time throughout the school year. All groups will be facilitated by one the counselors and/or the counseling intern. We offer several sections of each group to accommodate students who wish to participate. 

If you would like your student to participate in a group, please complete the group counseling form.  Once the form is completed, one of the counselors will send home an informational letter about the group and a group consent form. If you have any questions, please contact the MJHS Counseling department.

(posted April 7, 2020)Today's young people are living in a fast-paced society, with an increasingly diverse society, new technologies, and expanding opportunities. To help ensure that they are prepared to become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders, and citizens, every student needs support, guidance, and opportunities during childhood, a time of growth and change. Children face even more unique and diverse challenges, both personally and developmentally, that have an impact on academic achievement.

Middle School Students Developmental Needs

Middle school is an exciting, yet challenging time for students, their parents, and teachers. During this passage from childhood to adolescence, middle school students are characterized by a need to explore a variety of interests, connecting their learning in the classroom to its practical application in life and work; high levels of activity coupled with frequent fatigue due to rapid growth; a search for their own unique identity as they begin turning more frequently to peers rather than parents for ideas and affirmation; extreme sensitivity to the comments from others; and heavy reliance on friends to provide comfort, understanding, and approval.

Meeting the Challenge

Middle school counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today's diverse student population. Middle school counselors do not work in isolation; rather they are integral to the total educational program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help students achieve success in school. Professional school counselors align the school's mission to support the academic achievement of all students as they prepare for the ever-changing world.  This mission is accomplished through the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive, developmental, and systematic school counseling program. The ASCA National Standards in the academic, National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, with its data driven and results-based focus serves as a guide for today's school counselor who is uniquely trained to implement this program.

MJHS Counseling Program

School Counseling Curriculum

  • Academic skills support

  • Organizational, study and test-taking skills

  • Education in understanding self and others

  • Coping strategies

  • Peer relationships and effective social skills

  • Communication, problem-solving, decision-making and conflict resolution

  • Career awareness, exploration, and planning

  • Multicultural/diversity awareness

Individual Student Planning

  • Goal-setting/ decision-making

  • Academic planning

  • Career planning

  • Education in the understanding of self, including strengths and weaknesses

  • Transition planning

Responsive Services

  • Individual and small group counseling

  • Individual/family/school crisis intervention

  • Peer facilitation

  • Consultation/ collaboration

  • Referrals

System Support

  • Professional development

  • Consultation, collaboration and teaming

To contact MJHS Counselors:  

Mrs. Kelli Zitzke, LPC
815-645-2230 (Ext.) 4211
kzitzke@mail.meridian223.org 

Mr. Rob Wissinger
815-645-2230 (Ext.) 4104
rwissinger@mail.meridian223.org