Welcome to 9th Grade Guidance Counselor

   Hello Parents and guardians! I am very excited to be welcoming you to Snowden. This is my 14^th year at Snowden and my 32^nd year within Boston Public Schools.  I am the 9^th grade Guidance Counselor. My personal philosophy is that with appropriate support and access to proper opportunities all students can be successful. My educational background has afforded me amazing experiences and incredible opportunities.  I am a licensed Guidance Counselor, who has obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Juvenile Delinquency from Suffolk University, a Master’s Degree in Business Management from Lesley University, A Master’s Degree in School Based Counseling and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Mental Health Counseling both from Cambridge College.  Presently, I am working on my Ph.D. in Education at Lesley University.

  Guidance Services: [email protected]                                        School Number : 617-635-9989, Google Number:  857-301-7355

• Academic Support: including executive functioning skills.
• Career Awareness, exploration and planning.
• Coping Strategies and Social Skills development.
• Communication Skills, problem solving and conflict resolution improvement 
• Educational Planning, Individual and Group counseling
• Information sharing and consultation with parents and teachers
• Familiarity with and referral to internal and external student support services
• Knowledge about the referral to special educational services (504 and Special Education)
• Support in decisions for post-graduate planning & Aiding in application process to colleges and universities.

 Coming  to High School developmentally is one of the biggest transitions a young person can make. There are huge changes during this milestone, physically emotionally and socially between the ages of 14-18. Maturation and a young person’s ability to rationalize develop significantly between freshman and senior year. Goal Setting, Moral development, as well as strategy and decision making skills are improved and perfected greatly during the High School years.

As a Licensed Guidance Counselor and a parent of four young adults, I understand the resilience of children and families. I am also inspired by the fortitude we possess in dealing with the challenges we all face. Spring 2020 has shown all of us what inner strength we hold and how to channel that into productive social conscience. As a school counselor adolescent development is my foremost concern. Students speak to counselors for a variety of reasons: academic concerns, career decisions, peer conflicts, dealing with grief or trauma, etc. My style of practice is not to give advice but to allow students to always envision options, opportunities and what their decision making will entail.

Sometimes more than solution focused -Brief counseling is needed. In those situations, I refer students (with parental consent) to school-based clinicians from partnered community agencies. In my additional Role as the Student Support Services Coordinator, I make many referrals to our partnered community agencies and others for various services as the situation necessitates.  Presently we are partnered with: Boston Public Health Commission, Children Services of Roxbury and Arbour Counseling.

Please contact me directly regarding any request for services or to obtain more information.

I’m so looking forward to meeting you soon. 

Mrs. DesRuisseaux