Quick Links

CMP School Counseling

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 Procedures for CGCP.

Requests for Counseling

For general education 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 new counseling program! 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 be joining the new school counseling department at CMP, servicing the Elk Grove and the Capitol campuses 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