Counseling

  • Meet Our School Counselor

    Kaitlyn Hamilton has been with ITES since the start of the 2022-2023 school year. She is originally from Marshville and received her master’s degree in School Counseling from Lenoir-Rhyne University. This is her 7th year as a school counselor at the elementary school level. Fun fact about Ms. Hamilton; she received a special recognition certificate from the Secret Service for helping them promote internet safety among students in our district. Ms. Hamilton is committed to advocating for students and being a resource for Timberwolf families. She believes that schools should make social-emotional learning a priority, so that students can be well-rounded future leaders!

    School Counseling Mission Statement

    The Indian Trail Elementary School Counseling Program  will coordinate and collaborate with staff, families, and community members to prepare the whole child by supporting their personal and academic goals, social/emotional development and career readiness. Please contact Ms. Hamilton at 704-296-3095 or using kaitlyn.hamilton@ucps.k12.nc.us for more information.

    Our School Counseling Program

    We offer a comprehensive school counseling program at Indian Trail. Services include:

    • Development and management of a comprehensive school counseling program.
    • Whole class (guidance lessons), small group, and individual counseling. 
    • Consult with parents, teachers, administrators and other relevant people to enhance their work with students.
    • Other Responsibilities: 504 Coordinator (state-mandated), McKinney-Vento and Foster Care Liaison, Terrific Kids, etc.

    Individual Counseling & Group Counseling Services

    School counseling is short-term and problem-solving oriented. It is usually recommended for a student to improve a specific behavior, effective communication skills, conflict resolution, interpersonal relationships, decision making skills, anger management, or other issues that are impacting a student’s performance in school. Referrals for small group or brief individual counseling can be made by students, teachers, parents or administrators.

     Some areas of focus may include:

    • friendship/social skills
    • anger management
    • changing families
    • grief
    • bullying awareness

    *Parent permission is always requested before a child may participate in a group.

    Classroom Guidance Lessons

    Counselors work with students through classroom counselor lessons.  Topics that could be covered include:

    • bullying awareness
    • friendship/teamwork building
    • conflict resolution
    • tattling versus reporting
    • tolerance and respect of differences
    • personal safety

    Terrific Kids Program

    Terrific Kids is a program sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Monroe. The program recognizes a student from each class that has demonstrated a specific character trait for the grading period.

    Helpful Links

Confidentiality Statement

  • School counselors recognize their primary obligation for confidentiality is to the student but balance that obligation with an understanding of the family or guardians’ legal and inherent rights to be the guiding voice in their children’s lives (ASCA Code of Ethics).

    The role of the school counselor in regards to confidentiality is:

    • To support the students right to privacy and protect confidential information received from students, the family, guardian and staff members
    • To explain the meaning and limits of confidentiality to students in developmentally appropriate terms
    • To provide appropriate disclosure and informed consent regarding the counseling relationship and confidentiality
    • To inform students and the family of the limits to confidentiality when: Student poses a danger to self or others, Court ordered disclosure, Consultation with other professionals in support of the student i.e. colleagues, supervisors, treatment teams, and other support personnel
    • To keep personal notes separate from educational records and not disclose their contents except when privacy exceptions exist
    • To seek guidance from supervisors and appropriate legal advice when their records are subpoenaed
    • To assert their belief that information shared by students is “confidential” and should not be revealed without the student’s consent
    • To adhere to all laws protecting student records, health information, and special services (i.e., HIPAA, FERPA, IDEA)