Cura Personalis and Counseling
Our Students
Erik Michels, Counseling Department Chair
Bellarmine Preparatory School
Tacoma, WA
Cura Personalis and Counseling Defined
Care of the whole student
(mind, heart, and will)
Self-care (Xavier University)
Response to students in distress
(Loyola MD, Fordham)
Quote
 “If we educate only our students’
minds, we have not truly educated
them.” – Bernard Coughlin, S.J.
IPP and Counseling
IPP and Reality Therapy/Choice Theory
 WDEP
 What do you want? (Reflection)
 What are you doing to get it? (Experience)
 Is what you are doing working? (Evaluation)
 What can you do next? (Action)
Context
 Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, WA)
 1,000 students
 Coed
 250/1 student to counselor ratio
 Comprehensive counseling model
 Students have same counselor all four years
Context: Understanding the Teenage World Today
 Technology (Digital Citizenship, College Admissions)
 What are all these APPS?!
 Instagram
 Snapchat
 Twitter
 Facebook
 Students experiencing life (joy, rejection, anger,
validation) on different platforms
Context: What do we have in common?
 Pressures of students being in a rigorous college prep
school. We expect a lot out of our students (AP,
Honors, Extra-Curriculars). Colleges have become
more selective.
 Self-Esteem (C student starts to see themselves as a
C person)
 Competition/Comparison (Am I better than others?)
 Student Engagement/Retention
Context: Challenges Facing Teens
 Bullying (cyber, relational, verbal, physical)
 Body Image
 Learning Differences
 Drug/Alcohol Use
 Depression/Anxiety
 Self-harm (cutting)
 Suicidal Ideation
 Relationships/Conflict
 LGBTQ Support
Experience
 “Experience goes beyond a purely intellectual grasp.
St. Ignatius urges the whole person (mind, heart, and
will) should enter the learning experience. He
encourages the use of imagination and the feelings as
well as the mind in experience.” – Ignation Pedagogy
(abridged), Jesuit Institute
Experience
 How are we identifying challenges in our schools?
 How are we engaging students in
conversation/reflection about their high school
experience?
 What sort of programs do we have in place to
enhance their experience? (retreats, service trips,
clubs, etc.)
 How can we enhance the student experience?
Reflection
 “Only after adequate reflection on experience,
grasping the meaning and implication of what we
study, can we proceed freely and confidently toward
choosing appropriate courses of action that foster
our growth as human beings.”- Ignatian Pedagogy
Reflection
 How are we encouraging students to reflect on their
experiences? (journals, dialogue, etc.)
 Are we allowing adequate time for students to
reflect? (Examen)
Action
 “The first Jesuits were most concerned with the
formation with the formation of students’ attitudes,
values, ideals, according to which they would make
decisions about what was to be done. St. Ignatius
wanted Jesuit schools to form young people who
could and would contribute intelligently and
effectively to the welfare of society.” – Ignatian
Pedagogy
Action
 Action steps driven by Experience, Reflection, and
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Data (school specific and national trends).
Interventions (Pro-Active and Preventative)
Collaborate with P.E./Health teachers
Newsletter to parents
Speakers
In-Service Meetings/Professional Development
Action: Recognizing Signs
 Change in academic performance
 Increase in absences
 Lack of motivation
 Disruptive behavior
 Social withdrawal
 Falling asleep in class
 Impulsivity
 Exaggerated response to typical events
Action: Responding
 Be present and avoid pre-occupation with other
events
 Reiterate your support and instill hope
 If necessary, walk the student to the Counseling
Office
Case Study: Joey
 Joey is a 16-year-old student who has become
increasingly less involved in class. He seems tired all
the time and the quality of his work has gone way
down in recent weeks. Sometimes he doesn’t do the
homework at all. Today in class you noticed some
marks on his arm that are cause for concern. What
steps should be taken next?
Case Study: Joey
 Refer Joey to the school counselor or contact the
counselor directly and ask them to meet with Joey
about your concerns
 Counselor Steps: meet with Joey, ask to see his arms,
determine cause for cutting, suicide evaluation,
contact a parent/guardian, provide families with
community resources and help get them connected
to a counselor, e-mail all teachers to let them know
that Joey is facing some personal challenges, flexible
homework plan, regular check-ins
Case Study: Sam
 Sam is senior who seems to be habitually tardy to
your class. Sam is lethargic in class more often then
not. The academic work is extremely inconsistent.
Sam seems to have lost motivation. You notice one
day that Sam’s eyes are really red in class and Sam
seems disoriented. What next?
Case Study: Sam
 Refer Sam to the school counselor or contact the
counselor directly and ask them to meet with Sam
about your concerns
 Counselor Steps: meet with Sam, drug evaluation,
determine whether use is habitual, contact a
parent/guardian, refer family to have a free
drug/alcohol evaluation done, get information
release to speak with outside counselor about
support plan for Sam
References
 Ignatian Pedagogy- An Abridged Version. Jesuit
Institute, 2014.
 Recognizing and Responding to Students in
Distress. Loyola University- Maryland.
 Goodell, J., & Robinson, D.C. (2008) Through the
Glass Darkly: New Paradigms for Counselors,
Courage and Spirituality in Contemporary
Education. Journal of Catholic Education, 11 (4).
Contact Information
 Erik Michels, Counseling Department Chair
 Bellarmine Preparatory School (Tacoma, WA)
 Email: michelse@bellarmineprep.org
 Phone: 253-879-9799