Shay Sorensen | Counselor
My Email: gro.21khsaw@nesneros.yahs
My Role & Our Year Ahead – As a prevention specialist, your students will spend time in the classroom with me, focusing on practical skills to help them succeed both at school and in life. Our lessons this year will focus on three key areas:
- Fall: Respect for ourself and others and safety
- Winter: Building strength and resilience
- Spring: Responsibility, college & career readiness, and preparing for our future
In addition to classroom lessons, I will also provide small group and individual support for students – through parent request.
Part of my role is making sure students and families have the basic resources they need to be successful. If your family could use support with food, clothing, school supplies, or other basic needs, please reach out to me. I’m happy to help connect you with resources and support- no need is too small to ask about. Some of the resources families can apply for are listed below.
Partnering with You – I understand that you are the most important person on your student’s team, my role is a backup and help for you. To keep us connected, I’ll be sending short updates sharing what we’re learning and simple ways you can support those skills at home.
Working together allows us to take a true “whole child” approach, helping to give your student the best foundation for success.
Please feel free to reach out to me if there is anything I can help you with. I am so excited to serve the students and families of Riverside!
Helpful links
Counseling Permission Slips
Services Offered at our school
I support students and families in need by connecting them to community resources. Please use this page as a reference for resources available in Washington County. Contact me for assistance with backpacks, school supplies, clothing vouchers, food boxes and other resources.
District Resources:
Food Resources:
Housing:
Medical / Mental Health Resources:
Individual counseling services are provided to students who may need additional support because of a crisis, a concern, or who simply who need to talk. Individual sessions are short-term and solution focused. The student typically meets with me 6-8 times for about 15 minutes each session. Individual counseling services may be scheduled with parent permission.
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Many times, students will request a visit with the counselor regarding a situation at school and we will meet briefly to try to resolve the situation, particularly if there has been a problem on the playground/hallway/lunchroom with another student(s). These types of visits do not require prior permission from a parent, however I encourage students to go home and share with parents and guardians that we spoke and explain why we met.
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If the problem/situation resulted in some type of consequence, the student will meet with the principal. The counselor does not see students for discipline, but rather to assist in conflict resolution so that the student may return to class and learning. If a student requires on-going counseling, the counselor will contact the parent to discuss the issues. Serious behavior problems or certain family issues may require more in-depth counseling with a licensed professional counselor at an outside agency. I can assist you with more information about resources in the community for counseling, including a Mental Health Assistance Program through WCSD.
I am a prevention specialist so weekly classroom lessons are my top priority. I want to ensure equal access to all students for learning tools to help them achieve overall success in life. All students are taught a weekly social/emotional guidance lesson. These lessons focus on helping students develop character traits that will enable them to achieve academic and social/emotional success. Guidance lessons include topics such as resilience, gratitude, kindness & empathy, problem solving, decision making, growth mindset, college & career, and other life skills. I am happy to have any parent or guardian come in to see any lesson- just reach out to me!