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CMP School Counseling

Last Updated: 6/18/2020 4:13 PM

School counseling is now available at all CMP campuses in order to provide extra support in the three main areas of academic, career, and social/emotional guidance to our students and families. Counselors will offer a preventative, whole school guidance curriculum program which is aligned with Montessori philosophy and the character education program; designed to address many of the issues that our students face today. A variety of topics that the counseling program will cover include: bully prevention, emotion and stress management, goal setting, healthy lifestyles, and others. Counselors will also provide small group and individual counseling services as needed, largely based on administrative referral. Counselors will begin providing individual student planning services to middle school students to aid in their transition to high school and foster a post-secondary mindset. Because the education and well-being of children involves a team approach, counselors will work with teachers, administrators, parents, and community members to create the best educational experience for children to help them on their journey as life-long learners.

Detailed information about the counseling program and its mission, the referral system, informed consent, and confidentiality can be accessed here: CMP School Counseling Program Procedures.

Requests for Counseling

For students who may benefit from counseling services beyond classroom guidance lessons, we have a thorough referral system which is driven by administration. Details are provided in the Referral of Students document in the link above. If your student (TK-6) requests to see a counselor at school, before teachers and administrators refer, please have the following discussion with your child ahead of time and ask the following questions:

Have you tried to solve the problem yourself?
Can you walk away or let it go?
Will it still be a problem tomorrow?

Discussing these questions with your child helps to foster independent thinking and responsible choices, which is consistent with what we teach here at CMP.

If your student is in our middle school program, they may self-refer or walk-in for counseling services. Please see the link above for more details regarding middle school self-referral.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the referral process or anything else, please do not hesitate to email me at egwynne@cacmp.org or call the central administrative office at: 916-971-2432 x.178.

Resources

CMP School Counselors

Elayne Gwynne

My name is Elayne Gwynne and I am honored to serve as the coordinator of our counseling program and as the Capitol campus school counselor! After teaching at the Carmichael Campus for four years and the Orangevale Campus for seven years, I developed a passion for helping students gain the extra support they needed in both the academic and social/emotional arenas. I also believe Montessori education is firmly grounded in a strong community, and that our schools are unique in the bonds we develop between our families and our schools. Some quick information about my background: In 2006, I began teaching at CMP after relocating to the Sacramento area. I earned my 6-9 Montessori credential, and enjoyed a fulfilling and amazing teaching career through the end of the 2016/17 school year. During my final year of teaching I decided to pursue my Master’s degree in counseling and Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential in order to begin serving the children of CMP in a slightly different capacity, due to the needs I observed throughout my years in the classroom. During the 2017/18 school year, I completed three internships at several public schools in the area, while continuing to be a guest teacher at the Orangevale Campus one day per week.

Contact Info: email: egwynne@cacmp.org; phone: (916) 971-2432,ext. 178

Lisa L Picture

My name is Lisa Laffan and I am excited to enter my second year as a school counselor for CMP, serving the Elk Grove campus this year. I began my career with CMP in 2008 at the Capitol Campus as a teaching assistant and substitute teacher and transferred to the Elk Grove campus in 2011 where I have served as the lead teacher in the 9-12 Onyx Classroom for the past 8 years. I have always had the vision that CMP would start a school counseling program and I am so honored to be a part of it. I currently hold a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, my 6-12 Montessori Certification, a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Counseling, and recently finished my Administrative Credential Eligibility Program. I am eager to have this opportunity to fulfill my passion and support students through their social/emotional development. I look forward to working with your children!

Please feel free to contact me at llaffan@cacmp.org.

Coral Dickinson

Hello! I’m Coral Dickinson and I am thrilled to join the CMP family as Carmichael’s School Counselor. I graduated from CSU Sacramento with a Master’s degree in School Counseling and a Pupil Personnel Services credential in 2017. From there, I counseled middle school students for two years at a public school in Solano County. I have now transitioned closer to my home in Roseville, and am very excited to be working with students of such a wide age range. I got into school counseling because I believe childhood is something sacred that should be nurtured and protected at all costs. I look forward to supporting your children and learning from them!

Contact: cdickinson@cacmp.org

Sarah Mackey

My name is Sarah Mackey and I am CMP-Shingle Spring's new School Counselor. I was born and raised in Placerville and am excited to join the CMP family. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in education from UC Santa Cruz. Right after graduating, I worked for an educational nonprofit, City Year Sacramento, to provide academic and social-emotional support at a high needs school. I quickly realized not only the need for school counselors, but also discovered my passion of supporting youth. I graduated in May of 2019 from CSU Sacramento with a Master of Science in Counselor Education, School Counseling with a PPS Credential. During my masters program, I worked as an instructional aide at Herbert Green Middle School (2017-2019) providing additional academic support inside the classroom. I spent the past school year (2018-2019) completing internships at Dyer Kelly Elementary School in Sacramento, Herbert Green Middle School in Placerville, and Grant Union High School in Sacramento. At this time, I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity with CMP to be back in my hometown to support students and watch them grow.

Stacey Cronin

Hello CMP Families!

My name is Stacey Cronin and I’m happy to introduce myself to you as the new school counselor for the American River and Orangevale campuses! I hold a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology as well as a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Counseling. I have several years of experience working in the public school system with K-8 students, and am very excited to now be a part of the team here at California Montessori Project. I am looking forward to getting to know your children and being a part of their social emotional development!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at scronin@cacmp.org

Cheers!