John McAllister  -  Guidance Counselor

After going back to school, I received an MA in Clinical Psychology from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD.  During these years, I worked in an acute care psychiatric hospital, first as a psychiatric technician, and then as a clinical social worker doing group, family, and multi-family therapy.  After being laid off, I worked for 14 years as a guidance counselor at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, VA. 

Since moving to Bowling Green, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue both my religious background as the Director of Faith Formation (30 hours per week) at St. Joseph Church and my psychology background as the Guidance Counselor (10 hours per week) at St. Joseph School.  It is an honor for me to be associated with such a hard-working faculty and a privilege to work with the wonderful kids attending St. Joe’s.

Some personal favorites, after my wife Sandy and 3 wonderful kids, include fantasy novels (Tolkien, Eddings, Feist, Brooks), the Redskins, the Orioles, hockey (the Capitals), classic rock (Beatles, CSN, Fleetwood Mac, the Boss) and playing basketball.

ROLE AND SERVICES AS SCHOOL COUNSELOR

I am available to meet with parents or students anytime, including before and/or after school with an appointment.   I meet with students at their request or at the request of parents, teachers, or administrators.  Everything I discuss with students in a counseling session is confidential unless it is information which may pose a danger to self or others.  Students can also give their permission for me to discuss their issue with parents and/or teachers.  The same policy of confidentiality holds true for parents

There are many areas I am able to discuss with parents or students including academic difficulties, social or emotional issues, and conflict resolution.  Academic issues can be various in nature whether it’s organizational difficulties, test anxiety, or motivational in nature.  If your child has a learning disability, I highly encourage you, as a parent, to be a strong advocate for your child and communicate frequently with his/her teacher.  A common learning disability with which many parents are familiar is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), with or without Hyperactivity (ADHD).  While there are many websites which address many facets of dealing with this attentional difficulty, to me the preeminent site is www.chadd.org which will prove an invaluable resource for information and support.

Many students request to see me for help with bullying and/or conflict resolution.  It’s important to note that I am NOT the school disciplinarian and if a student or parent wants a punitive solution to a bullying problem, then the principal, Jan Lange, should be consulted.  I have more time than teachers to really sit down and speak with students at length about their feelings and perceptions; therefore, I can brainstorm with them to find solutions.  I encourage kids to make their own choices in regard to handling a problem.  Sometimes the solution involves gathering several kids together to discuss issues and/or feelings and perceptions.  In this situation, my role is to enhance communication among peers and to insist on confidentiality among the group as they struggle to find ways to accommodate everyone’s needs.

I am always willing to talk with any student and/or parent who is suffering from any kind of emotional difficulty stemming from serious illness and/or death in a family.  Referral to outside therapists is another service which is available.

Finally, I come into classrooms to address various issues but I always try to have a teaching experience in every classroom every year on the subject of bullying.  While this can never take the place of the everyday actions your child’s teacher takes to insure the safety and cohesion of every class, it is an attempt to have another voice to increase knowledge and sensitivity to this issue.  Every class is helped to identify the role of the victim, the bully, and the bystander.  Various solutions are discussed in an informal manner.  In early grades, I read stories which address bullying in some way and discuss issues with these classes.  In later grades, I show a series of videos (see below) which again address bullying issues and stimulate class discussion.  Bullying is very much in the public eye and again, there are many excellent websites which give information regarding this difficult issue.  The following I believe are a few that stand out:   www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov,  www.freespirit.com, and www.tolerance.org.  These sites have vast information for parents and students on all aspects of bullying including cyberbullying.

Beginning in the 4^th grade, I show a series of age-appropriate bullying videos that are part of the nationally acclaimed “Broken Toy Project,” by Thomas Brown.  The 4^th grade sees “The Broken Toy”, the 5^th grade sees “Scars,” the 6^th grade sees “Joey,” and the 7^th grade sees “Empty Shadows”.  “Inbox” is also a video shown in either 6^th or 7^th grade.  Short clips of many of these videos are available on www.ncyi.org (click on resources, then bullying elementary, then Broken Toy).  Any parent is free to preview any video that is shown.  If any parent has any concerns about their child viewing any of these videos, please email your child’s teacher and myself so that we can provide an assignment and alternative location during the video session.  

As the year progresses, I will try to post dates of scheduled bullying classes as well as other videos as I preview them. 

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