Hello! My name is Libby Burton and I am the middle school counselor. I have resided in the Northern Colorado region for the last 12 years with my two dogs and almost 2 year old daughter. This will be my 8th year with Highland School District, fourteenth overall in education, 5 years spent teaching high school mathematics and one year of substitute teaching. I received my Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics from the University of Northern Colorado in 2011, and then my Masters of Arts in School Counseling in 2018. 

 

As a school counselor, I provide short-term, solution-focused, person-centered, and strengths-based counseling to all. Within an average of a 20-minute session, I work on providing tools and strategies individuals are able to use not only at school but in their daily lives to process through big emotions. When needed, I advocate for students to receive further services through our school-based therapist from North Range Behavioral Health.

 

Per the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) standards, school counselors are required to provide Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons for all students. This year, I will utilize the free grade-level curriculum from Random Acts of Kindness (RAK), www.randomactsofkindness.org, which aligns with the CASEL standards to fulfill the SEL lessons requirements for school counselors. I will also run 4 grade-level lessons, one per quarter, from Xello, https://www.xello.world/en/, to fulfill the Individual Career & Academic Plan (ICAP) state requirements. 

 

I also am one of the four adult advisors for our peer-led leadership team, Sources of Strength, a suicide prevention program. SoS uses the upstream prevention model spreading help, hope, and strength into every corner of our community. As a trusted adult, I: acknowledge that reaching out for support is a strength, listen and react non-judgmentally, respond in a calm and reassuring manner, reflect back the feelings, strengths and ideas I hear when listening, ask how I can be helpful and respond as I am able, do what I can to connect to others supports if asked, and maintain confidentiality and communicate if exceptions exist. Utilizing the eight strengths of the SoS Wheel, individuals are able to access their strengths and grow in all of the strengths to become a more holistic member of society. 

 

I am excited to be back here at HMS for another year!