Guidance Counseling

Counseling services are an integral part of the American School of Paris. Our Guidance Counselors take a proactive, child-centered, and developmental approach in working with students, parents, and teachers. Our Counselors are always accessible to our students and are sure that each student receives a personalized approach, tailored to their individual needs.

Every student in the Middle School has a Guidance Counselor who is there to support their educational, emotional, and behavioral needs.

Our Counselors work with students in individual and group settings to assist them in adapting to the school environment and to help them tackle any concerns that may arise during the adolescent years. 

The Middle School Counselors support students and families in a variety of special roles. Some of those roles include:

• Meeting with individual students or small groups to discuss personal concerns or academic difficulties
• Supporting the Advisors in carrying out their pastoral roles
• Advising the teaching team when students have special needs such as specific learning differences
• Providing guidance to families concerning their child's development, either intellectually, socially, or in any other way
• Offering an active parenting class to help parents develop strategies to support their child
• Referring families to potential professional tutors in cases where a child is in need of sustained instructional support
• Referring families to specialized professional services in the Paris area for detailed educational testing of a diagnostic nature, for individual or family counseling, or for other potential psychological concerns (e.g., eating disorders or depression)
   

Every student in the Upper School has a Guidance Counselor who is there to support their educational, emotional, and behavioral needs. 

The Upper School Counselors support students and families in a variety of special roles. Some of those roles include:

• Welcoming new families and easing the transition to ASP
• Advising on course selection and class scheduling 
• Long-range planning for academic programs including, but not limited to, AP and IB courses
• Helping students meet graduation requirements
• Providing guidance in cases of academic difficulties
• Assisting students with personal and interpersonal concerns
• Regularly communicating with teachers and parents on student concerns
• Consulting with teachers, the guidance committee, and local professionals on specific student concerns
• Organizing workshops and meetings for students and parents, including group and individual meetings.
• The Upper School Guidance Counselors organize the GAPS classes, named for the four pillars of the program: Global citizenship, Academic and personal excellence, and Service learning classes. Our students participate in GAPS in Grades 9 and 10, with a focus on building self-confidence, increasing students' global awareness, and grappling with issues around the four pillars of the GAPS program.
• In Grades 11 and 12, our students learn to give back and support younger students by serving as GAPS peer mentors. Many students also take on leadership roles in ASP’s service clubs, which work to actively identify and solve problems, thus making contributions to the wider world at a level not often seen in young people.