Welcome to Guidance at Richmond Green SS
The Guidance department is here to help you in a number of ways.What We Do
The Guidance office is the 'heart' of Richmond Green SS. The staff, counsellors and secretary, are here to support your learning experience. Usually, the kind of help we give our students falls into one of three main areas:- Educational Planning
- Career Support
- Social/ Emotional Support
If you believe you are in need of support in one of the following areas, but aren't sure, please look over the descriptions of each of these areas found by opening the appropriate sidebar under What We Do.
Educational Planning
Making your way successfully through secondary school does not happen by chance. There should be a great deal of thought and planning that goes in to choosing the courses, levels, and number of semesters that are the best for you. No one sails through their secondary years without having some challenges and second guessing. Parents, siblings, teachers and friends can be a great source of support and information, but remember that your Guidance Counsellor has specific knowledge about the programs and options available to you.Please visit us if you would like more information or would like to discuss your decisions in the following areas:
- course selection while at Richmondn Green SS
- summer school
- night school
- finding a tutor or peer tutor
- transitioning from grade 8 to 9
- graduation requirements
- community service
- timetabling
- study strategies
- test-taking strategies
- time management
- college programs
- apprenticeship programs
- university programs
- out-of-province post-secondary applications
- scholarships
- out-of-school credits
- equivalencies from out-of-province
- one or more of your credits are at risk
- thinking of dropping out of secondary school
Career Support
In addition to the excellent career awareness developed in the grade 10 Career Studies classes, students can continue to refine their knowledge of career options through a visit to their Guidance Counsellor. Students should be focussed on researching and considering their career options and keeping as many 'doors open' as possible. Your Guidance counsellor can discuss possible career pathways with you and the prerequisites needed to lead you in the right direction.Please visit us if you would like more information or would like to discuss any of the following career-related topics:
- pathways
- job descriptions
- working conditions
- earnings
- educational requirements
- related jobs
- matching personal skills/values/interests/abilities/aptitudes to possible career options
- career resources
Social and Emotional Support
The Guidance department at Richmond Green SS is committed to supporting students during periods of social and emotional difficulty. If you are going through something difficult, don't face it alone! Friends and family can be great, but sometimes the best thing is to talk to someone who is removed from the situation. And let's face it, as great as our friends can be, they don't always have the most accurate information.Talking to a Guidance Counsellor can provide an independent opportunity to bounce your feelings around, get the facts, think about possible choices, and consider the possible outcomes of each action. Richmondn Green SS Guidance counsellors also have connections to great community resources, like doctors, therapists, and support groups who specialize in supporting people who are going through very similar sitautions.
Confidentiality is very important to Richmond Green SS Guidance Counsellors. What you discuss with your counsellor, stays with you and your counsellor, with the following few exceptions:
- you have given your consent for something to be discussed with a specific person outside of the Guidance office
- you give information to your counsellor that suggests someone (including yourself) is in immediate and/or grave danger. Safety concerns
- are taken quite seriously.
- someone under the age of 16 is the suspected victim of physical, sexual or emotional abuse
Please don't feel that anything is too unimportant, too strange, or too scary to speak to us about. Trust us...the chances are really high that many students have already come to a counsellor to discuss the same issues that were affecting them in their own lives! You can gain an amazing sense of relief after that first meeting with your counsellor that you are no longer suffering in silence. No one will make your choices for you or tell you what you must do...it's all just about helping you define the issue, explore the options, and evaluate the possible outcomes before YOU make your own decisions.
The following is just a small list of the types of issues that students come to see their Guidance Counsellor about:
- family problems
- friend problems
- relationship problems
- anger management
- stress
- depression
- anxiety
- sexual orientation (gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning)
- pregnancy (testing, options)
- sexually transmitted infections
- alcohol and drugs
- bullying
- death
- suicide
- divorce
- self-image
- eating disorders
- financial problems
- gambling
- cutting or other forms of self-mutilation
- housing (running away/being kicked out)
- crime
- abuse and assault (sexual, physical, emotional)
If your issue isn't on the list, come on in and see us anyway! Just check out the information at How to See A Counsellor.
If you have further questions or you would like to speak in person to a counsellor, please drop by:
Room 122
Monday to Friday
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
September to June (except school holidays)
