My name is Stacey Ackerman, and this is my 7th year as the School Counselor at Carus. I have the privilege of getting to work with all the students in the school, and I love my job! I am passionate about helping all kids feel safe, valued, welcomed, accepted, and cared about.

When I am not at school, I love to spend time with my husband, two teenage sons, and my two dogs, Toby and Yogi. I am very active, and love to work out, play and watch sports, and volunteer in the community. I enjoy board games and card games, going to the beach, eating Hot Tamales, being in the sunshine, unicorn “anything”, and reading inspirational books.

It is a true honor and privilege to have the opportunity to pour into my students each day, and I want to thank you, parents and caregivers, for sharing them with us.  We want nothing more than to see them strive toward their fullest potential!

With gratitude,

Mrs. Ackerman

If children are going to survive and thrive in tomorrow’s complex world, they need to practice solving as many problems as possible… today! The following process is designed to get kids thinking more about their problems than we do.

Step 1: Provide a strong and sincere dose of empathy.

Empathy allows the child to stay calm enough to solve the problem… and learn from it. Experiment with saying something like:

Oh no. This is a problem. I bet that’s really upsetting.

Step 2: Hand the problem back.

After you have proven that you care, ask:

What do you think you might do to solve this problem?

Don’t be shocked if the child mumbles, “I don’t know.”

Step 3: Ask permission to share what “some kids” have tried.

Avoid giving suggestions until you have asked:

Would you like to hear what some other kids have tried?

Step 4: Provide two or three alternatives for solving the problem.

Remember to avoid resistance by saying:

Some kids decide to______________​_______.

How would that work for you?

Step 5: Allow the child to solve or not to solve the problem.

Resist the urge to tell the child which alternative to pick.

End the session by showing your faith in the child and say:

Good luck! Let me know how this turns out.

School counselors help to support the social, emotional and academic needs of all students. We accomplish this by providing

• Classroom lessons
• Individual counseling
• Group counseling
• Crisis intervention
• Consultation with parents and teachers
• Coordination with outside agencies and therapists
• Referrals for community resources

All counseling and group sessions in a school setting are short-term in nature, and focus on solutions to help students succeed socially, emotionally and academically. School counseling activities help students gain confidence in their ability to interact with others, learn how to solve problems, manage and work through feelings, develop coping and calming skills, recognize their strengths, and much more!

Topics covered include friendship, empathy, calming strategies, problem solving, diversity, kindness, self-esteem, resilience, optimism, career interests and personal safety.

The school counseling program at Carus Elementary School is aligned to the standards set forth by the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) National Model.