Counseling Services

The San Marcos High School Counseling Department uses the National Standards for School Counseling as their blueprint for comprehensive guidance services at San Marcos High School. The National Standards comprise three domains—Personal/Social, Academic, and College/Career. The counseling team provides services in the following areas:

Personal/Social Domain

The counselors assist students by providing support and guidance to improve school performance. Counselors are available on a daily basis to discuss personal concerns with students. Counseling interns, school psychologists and school nurse are also available to assist students.

Counselors:

  • Provide assistance to students before school, at nutrition and lunch breaks, and after school
  • Identify and refer students to the Student Study Team (SST) for intervention services
  • Identify and refer students for outside counseling services
  • Provide crisis intervention and appropriate mental health referrals
  • Provide assistance and guidance via individual parent meetings
  • Provide personal counseling and guidance   

Academic Domain

The counselors assist students and their parents with high school educational planning and programming to ensure that students have an appropriate secondary education and graduate from San Marcos School in a timely manner. In addition, counselors help students in selecting coursework that supports their post-secondary choices, educational and vocational.

Counselors:

  • Advise students with regard to course selection and planning
  • Recommend students to summer school for remediation or enrichment
  • Monitor graduation status
  • Identify and refer students to credit recovery
  • Provide options for tutoring services
  • Provide individual academic counseling to students and parents
  • Identify and refer students to writing and math intervention programs
  • Provide high school orientation to incoming 9th grade students
  • Refer students for academic testing and alternative placement
  • Provide parent informational meetings

College/Career Domain

The counselors also assist students by providing information and guidance pertaining to college admissions, college entrance requirements, testing, scholarships, financial aid and the completion of college applications. Career planning for all students is emphasized by means of computer programs available in the Career Center and through the Naviance (Family Connections) online program.

Counselors:

  • Conduct grade level college/career search programs
  • Provide college letters of recommendation, secondary school reports and mid-year reports
  • Provide GPA verification for college scholarships and financial aid
  • Monitor and assist students with NCAA eligibility and registration
  • Assist students with college applications
  • Provide information regarding SAT/ACT registration
  • Interpret PSAT results
  • Sponsor financial aid workshops
  • Provide college and career information
  • Provide access to community college via on-campus meetings with Santa Barbara City College representatives

For School Community Based Resources please see this doc. If you the student or parent are interested in any of the services, please e-mail your counselor. 

You can also visit this link for services provided by the County of Santa Barbara.