Guidance counseling

Counseling services are an integral part of the American School of Paris. Our guidance counselors take a proactive, child-centered, and developmental approach in working with students, parents, and teachers. Our counselors are always accessible to our students and are sure that each student receives a personalized approach, tailored to their individual needs.

The counselor also meets with students individually and facilitates small group meetings in a supportive environment where students can address specific issues or concerns. These small groups are designed to support students with strategies to cope with topics such as anger management, grief, and social skill development. Counseling guidance lessons are taught in weekly, thirty-minute sessions. The developmental guidance curriculum follows the International Model of the American School Counselor’s Association Curriculum.

Some of the topics covered are:

• Self-esteem promotion
• Feelings identification and emotional regulation
• Making and keeping friends
• Effective communication
• Developing healthy boundaries
• Acknowledging diversity
• Personal goal setting
• Test-taking strategies
• Problem solving and conflict resolution
• Career education
• Cyber safety and responsibility
• International citizenship and global transitions

Our counselors work with students in individual and group settings to assist them in adapting to the school environment and to help them tackle any concerns that may arise during the adolescent years. The Middle School counselors support students and families in a variety of special roles. Some of those roles include:

• Meeting with individual students or small groups to discuss personal concerns or academic difficulties
• Supporting the advisors in carrying out their pastoral roles
• Advising the teaching team when students have special needs such as specific learning differences
• Providing guidance to families concerning their child's development, either intellectually, socially, or in any other way
• Offering an active parenting class to help parents develop strategies to support their child
• Referring families to potential professional tutors in cases where a child is in need of sustained instructional support
• Referring families to specialized professional services in the Paris area for detailed educational testing of a diagnostic nature, for individual or family counseling, or for other potential psychological concerns (e.g. eating disorders or depression)

The Upper School counselors support students and families in a variety of special roles. Some of those roles include:

• Welcoming new families and easing the transition to ASP
• Advising on course selection and class scheduling
• Long-range planning for academic programs including, but not limited to, AP and IB courses
• Helping students meet graduation requirements
• Providing guidance in cases of academic difficulties
• Assisting students with personal and interpersonal concerns
• Regularly communicating with teachers and parents on student concerns
• Consulting with teachers, the guidance committee, and local professionals on specific student concerns
• Organizing workshops and meetings for students and parents, including group and individual meetings.
• The Upper School guidance counselors organize the Grade 9 and 10 Leadership Lab (LL) courses. Leadership Lab is organized and taught in the style of an advisory course and encourages students to enter into facilitated dialogues on a variety of topics that encourage personal growth. LL9 students explore themes that include: Grade 9 transition, communication, social justice, and digital citizenship. LL10 students work with Unhushed, a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum that explores social justice, identity, empowerment, and healthy communication. Both LL9 and LL10 students also engage in career and university planning using the Unifrog platform.