Counseling Department Overview
The counseling department at Walters Middle School is dedicated to assisting students with their academic, social, emotional and personal needs. In addition, our counselors provide conflict management between students, preventing student conflicts from escalating.
Additionally, parents, teachers, administrators, or other students may refer a student to their school counselor. Counseling gives students an opportunity to talk about problems they are experiencing and to work on problem-solving in a safe, supportive and confidential setting. Parents/guardians are encouraged to contact the counselors if they have concerns regarding their student's academic, social, or emotional development while at WMS. Click to learn more about the role of a middle school counselor as defined by the American School Counseling Association (ASCA).
Limits to Confidentiality:
Confidentiality between the counselor and student exists to allow the student to be honest when working through a problem, however, students and Parents/Guardians should be aware of the limitations to confidentiality in the school counseling setting. The following list includes reasons confidentiality may be broken:
- the student poses a danger to self or others
- there is a court-ordered disclosure
- consulting with other professionals, such as colleagues, supervisors, treatment teams and other support personnel, in support of the student
- privileged communication is not granted by state laws and local guidelines (e.g., school board policies)
- the student participates in group counseling
our counseling team
The Counseling Department at Walters Middle School is made up of three credentialed school counselors, one per grade level and a part time associate mental health therapist. Students are assigned to their counselor based on their current grade and remain with that counselor throughout their time at WMS. Our counseling team works closely in providing academic, social, emotional and career support to all students at Walters Middle School.
6th Grade School Counselor
Ms. Gonzalez, M.A.
Email: cgonzalezmorales@fusdk12.net
Phone: 510-656-7211 (ext. 28158)
Ms. Gonzalez's Virtual Counseling Office
7th Grade School Counselor
Mrs. Yepez, M.A.
Email: ayepez@fusdk12.net
Phone: 510-656-7211 (ext. 28154)
Mrs. Yepez Virtual Counseling Office
8th Grade School Counselor
Ms. Gai, M.S.
Email: rgai@fusdk12.net
Phone: 510-656-7211 (ext. 28120)
Associate Mental Health Therapist (AMFT-APCC)
Kathy Blandon Escobar, M.S. (She/Her/Ella)
Email: kblandonescobar@fusdk12.net
Phone: (510) 655-7211 (ext. 28014)
Welcome! I am Mrs. Kathy, the Associate Mental Health Therapist at Walters Middle School for the 2022-2023 school year. I am available to provide mental health counseling services on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to students referred by our Walters COST Program. The services I provide include individual and small group counseling, crisis intervention, conflict resolution, and consultation with parents and teachers. Please contact me or check out our Counseling Resources for more information.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
In a medical or psychiatric emergency, please call 9-1-1 or take your student to the nearest emergency room.
Walters Counseling Department does not provide any after-hours counseling services. We have prepared some helpful contact numbers, listed below.
If you have health insurance, please check with your insurer (there is usually a 1 800 referral number on the back of your insurance card) to see which clinics are approved by your plan
Helpful Contact Numbers
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Crisis Text Line
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Text "Home" to 741741
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National Suicide Prevention Hotline
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1-800-273-8255
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National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
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1-800-950-6264
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Panic Disorder Information Hotline
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800- 64-72642
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Other Free Counseling Hotlines
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For medical or psychiatric support (non- emergency) call the number on your insurance card.
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In case of a medical or psychiatric emergency, please call 911.
