Counseling
Sarah Hanks, Counselor
About Me
My name is Sarah Hanks and I am excited to be the school counselor at Prairie Crossing this year! I have a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's Degree in Couple and Family therapy and School Counseling. This will be my 1st year working in the schools and I am very excited for this journey. I have a passion for working with children and have a strong belief that the child and the family are the experts and focusing on the whole child is paramount in building relationships and creating pathways to success.
When I am not counseling, I enjoy reading, creating memories, and spending time with my family. My husband and I have three incredible little boys ages 5, 7, and 9. They keep our lives busy and our hearts full. We love traveling together and spending time outdoors enjoying the beautiful Colorado weather!
My approach to school counseling is largely solution-focused, and I strive to recognize the child as an active participant in the process of growth. My goal is to provide every PCE student with the tools they need to be happy, to find success, and to embrace the world around them.
The Role
The Role of a Professional School Counselor
The elementary years set the tone for developing the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for children to become healthy, competent, and confident learners. Through a comprehensive and developmental school counseling program, the counselor works as a team with students, their families, and PCE staff to address the academic, career and personal/social development of all students.
School Counselors are specially trained educators with a master's degree in counseling. Support provided can be therapeutic, but the role of a school counselor is not to diagnose or provide therapy. We are able to provide temporary/short-term support to help students overcome acute issues having an impact on their school performance. We are a resource similar to the school nurse in that she can provide screening and band aids but refers out for more serious problems. Licensed mental health counselors are the appropriate resource to provide ongoing therapy sometimes needed by families and children. If there are concerns that need more consistent and comprehensive services beyond one or two meetings, we would be happy to provide resources for nearby therapists and agencies in our community that specialize in helping school-aged children.
The counseling position at PCE was created thanks to funding from the passing of 5A & 5B in Douglas County. Since the role is so new, I want to ensure it is meeting the needs of our students! Please reach out anytime with question or concerns.
More Information:
The Role of a School Counselor (ASCA)
Research Supporting the Role of a School Counselor (ASCA)
Services
Support for all students.
School counselors are in a unique position to provide support to every single student within a school. This is accomplished by providing services at three levels: school wide, small groups, and individual counseling. My focus is on ensuring every student has well-rounded foundations in social-emotional, academic, and career awareness
Classroom Lessons
Prairie Crossing already benefits from fantastic staff that bring important social-emotional learning into students' everyday interactions. Classroom lessons intermittently presented by the school counselor allow students to go deeper on select topics, which may include:
- emotional awareness and self-regulation
- making friends/social skills
- early career awareness and exploration
- conflict resolution and general problem solving
- stress busters
- whatever that particular group of students may benefit from!
Small Group Counseling
Small group counseling presents a great chance for several students to meet on a specific topic with their school counselor. Small groups will often run 2-3 times a year for about 6 weeks. They generally include 3-6 students who come together for about 30 minutes, once a week, during the school day but not during instructional time.
Parents will have the opportunity to sign their student up for a small group, but unfortunately this is not a guarantee of participation; small groups will be determined based on the number of students signed up and the availability of scheduling. Topics for small group may include:
- families in separate/separating homes
- confidence/self-esteem, leadership
- anxiety/stress management
- academic fitness
- self-regulation and making good choices
- cooling down anger
If you are interested in having your child be in a small group in the future, please email me. If you have questions about small groups, please reference the frequently asked question or reach out by email.
Small Group FAQs
Individual Counseling
Sometimes students benefit from one-to-one support with the school counselor. Whether the request comes from a parent, staff member, or the student themself, your school counselor is here to help!
Every effort is made to meet with students outside of instructional time (often during lunch/recess, snack breaks, etc.).
Topics may encompass any student need, from social-emotional to academic, and are often brief/solution-focused.
The role of a school counselor is to provide short-term support to students, but some students may further benefit from the sort of in-depth, long-term support that community mental health professionals provide; I can always provide you with some starting points for community mental health resources if this may be a good option for your family!
If you would like your student to meet with the school counselor, please get in touch via the "CONTACT" page.
Contact
My contact info:
Sarah Hanks
shanks1@dcsdk12.org
Please do not hesitate to get in touch anytime with questions or concerns. Referrals for outside counseling/community services are available, as well as other resources for use at home (e.g. books, activities)
If you have an urgent concern, such as the safety of a student, DURING SCHOOL HOURS, please contact the front office at (PCE) 303-387-8200.
If you have an urgent concern, OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS, please contact 911 or your nearest emergency room.