Scott school Student services/counseling team
School counseling for all
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Thank you for visiting my page! I am the proud school counselor for Scott K-5 School in NE Portland. I created this website to educate and support people interested in supporting the "soft skills" of the next generation.
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returning to school, Spring 2024
Anxiety can be hard to manage. In my 17 year career I've never seen so many children (AND TEACHERS) so lost in the wilderness of instability. In March 2020 and again now, I encourage all families to put some basic support structures in place. When/if these aren't enough, reach out to me. In no particular order:
- Set and maintain a routine. Rituals, screens, mantras, eating, etc. USE AN ANALOG (not digital) CLOCK (Español)! Make time to grieve, worry, or vent - it may seem funny, but putting it in the schedule validates the feelings that need to be felt. The routine will also, in time, help you sleep.
- Include gratitude - tell others.
- Journal, even if you don't know what to write.
- Create something - music, drawing, painting, sand garden, food, poetry, crochet or friendship bracelets...
- Get outside. Walk, exercise, sit... every day.
- Turn the news and social media off (especially lately). Detoxing from news and social media has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.
- Connect with people who respect you. Mix it up, and make sure to include people who aren't in your family. Being different is a GOOD THING, as long as there's respect. Check in with "uncles", "aunties", & neighbors.
Talking about Difficult news
Like with any major headlines, it is essential that the adults help children understand the world they will inherit from us. 2020 left us with problems that will linger for decades, and every year, *bad things happen*. To help you talk with children about this, I have developed and collected some resources:
Mr. Salinas & Mr. H (me) have bilingual read-alouds and Scott School / Portland specific resources.
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Beyond the Spotlight article about how to talk to kids about the events of 1/6/21
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Facing History article on how to talk to kids about the events of 1/6/21
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anti-black violence
We must talk about race, racism, and ESPECIALLY ANTI-BLACK VIOLENCE!!! I have a resource page to support parents, school counselors, teachers, and students.
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About me
I've spent the vast majority of my life in the Portland area, educated by Sunset Elementary School, Willamette Middle School, West Linn High School, Southern Oregon University (BS in Psychology) and Lewis & Clark College (M.Ed in School Counseling) and educating at Centennial Learning Center, Centennial School District, Vose Elementary in Beaverton, Bridger K-8, Peninsula K-8, Ainsworth Elementary, and now Scott in 2016 (whew!). I can also proudly say that I am a Returned Peace Corps volunteer (Honduras '02-'04), which means that I am bilingual, resourceful and (most importantly) flexible!
