Counseling Department

• Crisis Text Line
• Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief

The Counseling Department at Elyria Catholic High School supports and furthers the mission of Elyria Catholic High School.  It is created upon the principles of the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) national model of nine standards grouped within three domains:  the academic, college/career and personal/social.  We frame our work with a vision of each student achieving a successful first year of college.  We want our students to walk on the college campus that is the right fit for their unique selves, prepared to:

•  Challenge themselves academically and be able to manage their learning process independently

•  To take advantage of the opportunities college has to offer

•  To create connections with peers and professors

•  To make choices of classes, careers or in relationships-that reflect each student’s integrity and positively impact his/her growth and development.

In order for us to be of the most help in accomplishing the above, we need to get to know and understand our students over time, and the counselors stay with the students from 9^th to 12^th grade.

Miss Katie Gauntner '14
School Counselor: last names A-L
B.S. in Psychology from John Carroll University and M.Ed in School Counseling from John Carroll University               
Telephone: 440.365.1821 ext. 8614
Email: gauntner@synergisticassoc.com  

Mrs. Christine Brooks                                                                                                                                  
School Counselor: last names M-Z                                                                                                                           
B.S. Middle Childhood Education from University of Dayton and M.S. School Counseling from Creighton University
Telephone: 440.365.1821 ext. 8615
Email: brooks@synergisticassoc.com

Mrs. Margie Mendez 
Counseling Department Secretary and Records Coordinator 
Telephone: 440.365.1821 ext. 8616
Email: mendez@synergisticassoc.com 
 

Classroom Counseling Curriculum

All Grades

-School Safety/Suicide Prevention     -Bullying     -College/Career/Resume    -Study Skills/Test Anxiety
-Healthy Relationships                          -Mental Health Awareness                      -Drug/Alcohol Prevention 

9th

EC counselors teach classroom lessons throughout the school year to help freshmen with the transition to high school.  Also, we discuss the social/emotional/behavioral challenges of adolescence and the support system provided by the EC Community.

10th

Counselors administer a career exploration questionnaire to sophomores through Naviance. After completing the 180 question assessment, the students are given their Holland Code and asked to explore careers that are related to their personality.  

11th

Juniors are asked to research five different colleges through Naviance as well as add the colleges to their "Colleges I'm thinking about" list.

12th

Seniors receive instructions regarding procedures for applying to colleges: application process, transcript requests, letters of recommendation and scholarships. A graduation survey will be administered at the end of the year to gain an understanding of where the students will be attending and how much scholarship money they received. 

Individual Counseling

We meet with students a minimum of once each year and more often as needed/requested. We welcome students (and parents) to come to us with any questions or concerns. Typical issues are academic struggles, course selection, the college and career search process and social/emotional issues.  

***Parents may refer students to counselors using the referral form.