Counseling

Captain Cooper is a unique, warm, and welcoming place!

The mission of the school counseling program in Carmel Unified School District Community is to ensure that all students develop the academic, career and personal/social knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to become lifelong learners who are prepared for the challenges of continuing education, the workplace, and their role as self-actualizing citizens in an ever-changing global community.

At Cooper, students are part of a respectful and caring community. As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain a peaceful and safe environment, we have the peer-based Conflict Management program.

"Conflict Managers" are 4th and 5th-grade students who volunteer their time during recess to help students solve conflicts in positive and respectful ways. Conflict Managers receive several hours of training in conflict management strategies: setting up a safe space, active listening, restating pertinent facts and feelings, and guiding students in a process to identify cooperative solutions.

Character COUNTS! is our character education program with which we teach six concepts of good character: Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Caring, Fairness and Citizenship. We have school-wide classroom guidance curriculum at grade levels as well as assemblies to create common understanding and language around the concepts or as we call them, the "pillars" of good character.

We offer a wide variety of small counseling groups to help students develop a variety of personal and social skills and solution-based one-on-one counseling.

Another way we support students is through the Welcome Buddy program. It began in 1992 to ease the transition for new students coming to Big Sur. Every fall two returning students are chosen from each classroom (K-5) and "Welcome Buddies" are trained to be that year's active team. The job of a "Buddy" is to be a friend to new students when they arrive at school.

Please come by the Counseling Room, call or email if you need to discuss services. I am here to help!