Academic Counseling & Assessment

Academic counseling for students in middle school, high school, and college is designed to help students:

• Develop confidence with academics and in the school setting – Students receive support and feedback from their counselor throughout the counseling process.  Teachers, parents, and siblings may also be involved in giving feedback on positive changes. 
• Increase interest and commitment to education – Students make quarter or semester academic goals and objectives with their counselor based on their areas of strength and weakness.  Students also spend time with their counselor discussing their current level of motivation with academics, social activities, and other areas of life (reasons to change, reasons not to change).  Their counselor helps them to accomplish their personally identified goals.
• Learn relevant academic skills – Students may focus on the following types of academic skills - identifying how they learn and remember information best, building organizational and time management skills, learning active reading skills, practicing active note taking skills, enhancing test taking skills, and developing a review system (for those who often make punctuation or calculation errors).
• Learn relevant emotional skills – Students may focus on the following types of emotional skills - identifying which emotions facilitate schoolwork and which do not, learning how to get into a mood that facilitates schoolwork, understanding how they feel about themselves as students and how that helps or hurts them with academics, and learning how to cope with emotions at school and at home (ex., test taking anxiety, anxiety about class presentations, frustration with peers or teachers, sadness about social difficulties, concerns about peer pressure). 
• Learn relevant social skills – Students may focus on the follow types of social skills - building peer relationships at school, learning how to work in a group, developing assertiveness skills, and learning how to deal with bullies.

Academic counseling helps children and adolescents be successful in the process of being a student – academically, emotionally, and socially.  It does not include tutoring or teaching the content of specific subjects or courses, such as reading, writing, math, or science.  Subject specialists or tutors are most appropriate in teaching and reinforcing specific course content or fundamental reading, writing, or mathematical skills.

Getting Started with Academic Counseling

At Meers, Inc., academic counseling begins with an interview with your counselor to discuss your present concerns and other relevant information.  Your initial meeting will help your counselor and you identify your perceived strengths and weaknesses and your initial goals for academic counseling.   Parents are encouraged to attend part of the first session, particularly when children or adolescents are under the age of 18. 

All of our academic counselors and assessors at Meers, Inc., are doctoral level clinicians.  They have significant experience working with children, adolescents, and young adults and are able to determine when an individual may be experiencing learning or emotional difficulties that require further evaluation.

Meers, Inc. Academic Counselors and Assessors:

Dr. Kathryn Leugers has six years of experience providing counseling, psychotherapy, and assessment services to children, adolescents, and adults.  Dr. Leugers has also provided academic counseling and assessment services to college students at Widener University and Swarthmore College in the Philadelphia area.  At Meers, Inc., Dr. Leugers provides academic counseling; individual, family, couples, and group therapy; parental consultation; and cognitive and psychological assessment services.  Click Here to see Dr. Leugers’ biography.

Dr. Timothy Rheinscheld has over 25 years of experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities and behavior disorders.  For the past 8 years, Dr. Rheinscheld has provided assessments of children suspected of having Autistic Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, and other developmental issues at The Ohio State University's Nisonger Center, where he continues to serve part-time as a staff psychologist.  At Meers, Inc., Dr. Rheinscheld provides assessment for learning, developmental, and emotional disorders; behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy; and sports performance counseling.  Click Here to see Dr. Rheinscheld’s biography.