St. Mary's School Counselor

Dear St. Mary's students and parents,

I am so excited to be part of your St. Mary's family! I am thrilled to be involved in developing a school counseling program for your school.

A little bit about myself. My name is Sara Konsbruck and I hold my Master's degree in School Counseling from the University of South Dakota. I am also a Nationally Certified Counselor. I am originally from the St. Cloud area and currently live in Morris, MN. I am available at school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the school year.

School counselors work within a comprehensive framework which introduces lessons in the early grades and continues to build upon those lessons during the student's school career. I am looking forward to getting to know you and your students. Please feel free to email me (counselor@stmarysschoolbirdisland.com) or make an appointment if you have any questions about me or my program. You can also 'like' me on Facebook by searching 'St. Mary's School Bird Island Counselor'. Thank you!

~Ms Sara Konsbruck, MA, NCC

Counseling Services at St. Mary's School, Bird Island

Classroom Guidance and Counseling

The school counselor teaches classroom guidance lessons to the regular classroom setting to all students in each grade level throughout the school year to help students gain an awareness of self, others, and the world around them. The focus of classroom guidance and counseling are to foster students' academic, social, emotional and career development through a series of guidance activities delivered on an as-needed basis. Topics include, but are not limited to:

Group Counseling

The school counselor also conducts small group counseling sessions to enhance developmental areas such as friendship skills, personal adjustment, anger management skills, interpersonal concerns, academic development, behavior modification, self-image and self-confidence. Group counseling can also address concerns about family issues, such as separation, divorce, grief, and loss. Many other group counseling topics may be offered, inquire with Sara if you and your student have a need for a particular group. Parents, teachers and administrators may refer students to group counseling. Student also may self-refer. If the student is referred for this service by someone other than the parent and it is appropriate to be part of small ground counseling sessions, the parent will be contacted for permission before group counseling begins.

Individual Counseling

The school counselor works with individual students to help them better express their concerns and problems, to better understand themselves and other, and to work toward positive educational, personal and social development. A parent can access this service for their child by contacting Sara. Students also may self-refer for an individual brief counseling appointment. Sara is on campus Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Students may self-refer by filling out a 'red slip' outside the counselor's office and sliding it under the door. Other school professionals may refer a student for an individual brief counseling session. If a student has been referred for these services by someone other than the parent and on-going counseling is needed the parent will be contacted for permission.