The 2016 Wellness Annual Report

School counselors in Palm Beach County have a long history of supporting the social/emotional, academic, and career development of all students. Through comprehensive school counseling programs and evidence-based practice, the “whole-student” receives the core, supplemental, and intensive counseling they need to become successful young adults.

Over the past five years, the School Counseling Team has taken a proactive and strategic approach to supporting growing all students through involvement with key stakeholders, professional development, and special projects, including:

• adoption of the American School Counselor Association’s Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Every Student.  By teaching, counseling, and coaching growth mindsets, self-efficacy, learning strategies, social skills, and self-management skills, we are helping students to develop the key ingredients for young adult success and wellness.

• exposing students to a wide variety of college-career readiness interventions, K-12.  Capstone opportunities include the College-Career Fair held annually October. This event has grown to include over 180 colleges, universities, and representatives of the Armed Forces; and provide essential information to over 3800 students and family members. The Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Recruitment Tour is designed to connect college-ready seniors with public, private community, and university educational options. Over the past 5 years this event has garnered increasing amounts of scholarship offers ranging from $620,000 in 2014 to $5.1 million in 2016.

• answering the call for high quality professional development related to social/emotional development, mental health and wellness. The Annual Student Mental Health and Wellness Conference has grown in its size, effectiveness, and impact since its inception in 2014. The 3^RD Annual Conference met the training needs of over 268 attendees, up from 175 attendees in 2014 and 203 in 2015. What is consistent across the years is over 95% positive rating for conference event.

• supporting the teaching of the evidence-based and research proven Student Success Skills curriculum to over 2,300 grade 5th students leading to significant improvements in cooperation skills, pro-social behavior, academic engagement in class, appropriate assertiveness, test anxiety coping skills.