Lynette Abler
Counselor
P: 531-299-7867
Email: lynette.abler@ops.org

I have been a counselor at Sunny Slope since 2015. I teach Guidance classes once in a 10 day cycle. I conduct Small Group and Individual Counseling Sessions for grades K-5. Teachers and parents can refer students for Individual and Small Group Counseling.

The school counseling program will focus on achievement, attendance, behavior and/or school safety goals for the school year. Small Group and Individual Counseling will focus on these areas. Other topics for Small Group Counseling include: divorce/separation, death/grief, families in transition, respect/responsibility, organization/study skills, self-esteem/personal power, and friendship/social skills. Groups run 20 minutes for Kindergarten students, and lasts up to 4 weeks. For grades 1-5, sessions run 30 minutes; for 4 weeks.

A great portion of our curriculum comes from the Second Step Curriculum. These lessons are fun, researched based and help kids develop skills for Emotional/Social and Academic Success. All diverse learners are engaged, for the lessons include music videos, take-home activities and real-life stories that the kids can relate to. To learn more about the Second Step Curriculum, please visit www.cfchildren.org/second-step.

All the lessons we teach support the ASCA model (American School Counselor Association). The student standards and competencies enhance the learning process for all students. They include the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for student success as well as the College-and Career Readiness. The lessons are focused around (3) Domains: Academic, Career and Social/Emotional Development.

We use the Steps to Respect Curriculum to teach the Intermediate kids about bullying prevention. Both primary and intermediate students use asset rich books to learn about bullying prevention and the 40 Developmental Assets. To learn more about the Search Institute and the 40 Developmental Assets, visit www.search-institute.org.

Primary students learn a great deal about how to handle bullying, strong emotions, feelings, empathy and compassion by viewing the Howard B. Wigglebottom animated books, activities and songs. For more information, visit www.wedolisten.com.

Counselors teach kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. We celebrate "RED RIBBON WEEK" in the month of October for Drug Awareness month.