West Mercer Counseling Services

Dear Parents and Guardians:

During a child’s elementary school years, important development is taking place physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally. At West Mercer, we recognize that difficulties or struggles in one area of development can often have negative impacts in other areas. To help navigate these issues, a full-time mental health counselor from Mercer Island Youth and Family Services is available to provide support services to students. The goal of our counseling program is to work with students, parents and school staff to encourage healthy development in each child. Our program is largely preventative; we try to provide services to children early in order to ensure a positive and successful school experience overall. Our counselor also facilitates age-appropriate classroom lessons, activities, and discussions about relationships, decision-making, problem-solving, and other issues related to physical, social, and emotional health.

The school counselor works with students individually as well as in groups at the request of parents, teachers, or the students themselves. There is no fee for counseling services provided within the schools though parent permission is required for ongoing work with individual students. Counseling services are confidential and information will not be shared without a signed release of information unless there is a safety issue that warrants disclosure. It should be noted that the counselor is available to all students and may have incidental or transient contact with your child through activities such as classroom presentations, informal lunch or recess groups to which students may be invited as guests, or to follow up on a playground or classroom issue. Such contacts are not considered individual counseling services and may not require parent permission.

Working together, we can help the child who is experiencing difficulty in adjusting to life’s expectations. Feel free to contact the school counselor to share a concern regarding your child’s development, request your child be considered for services, or to seek a referral to other community-based providers. If you notice a change in your child, find them approaching school differently than in the past, are experiencing stressful circumstances at home or within your family, you are encouraged to contact the school counselor, Alina Samko, at (206) 236-3438. Together we can help your child adjust to the many demands of elementary school life.

Sincerely,
Alina Samko, MA, LMFTA
Mercer Island Youth & Family Services (MIYFS)
alina.samko@mercerislandschools.org
Cell phone: (206) 584-3768 (preferred)
Office phone: (206) 236-3438