Skip to main content

Guidance

October 10, 2023

1694443144694.pngDear Robertson Families,

My name is Erin Herkimer and I am the guidance counsellor at Robertson School. I have worked in the division for 15 years and this is my second year in the role of guidance counsellor. I wanted to become a guidance counsellor because I love connecting with students while supporting their social, emotional, and mental health needs.

As a counsellor, I have a number of jobs, including:

  • teaching classroom guidance lessons
  • counselling individual and small groups of students
  • consulting with teachers to assist in meeting individual student needs
  • coordinating referrals to school and community agencies

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child. Possible areas of concerns could be family changes, behaviour or mental health, peer relations, and classroom performance.

I can be reached by phone at 204-589-4745.

Erin Herkimer
Guidance Counsellor




Emergency Numbers for Crisis or Counselling Services:

 

Kids Help Phone - 1-800-668-6868 or text the word "TALK" to 686868 

MYS Youth Emergency Shelter - 204-477-1804

Mobile Crisis Unit - 204-949-4777

KidThink Counselling Services - 431-388-5373

NorWest Youth Hub Counselling and Support Services - 204-221-9800

New Directions Family Counselling Support - 1-866-242-0252

Klinic Suicide Crisis line- 204-786-8686




What does a Guidance Counsellor do?

The guidance counsellor develops a comprehensive and developmental guidance and counselling program with their school team to meet the needs for the specific school population. This process includes identifying needs, implementing and monitoring programs, and adjusting plans based on the developmental needs of students.


A Guidance Counsellor does...A Guidance Counsellor does NOT...
  • Work with ALL students to encourage a safe school climate of trust and respect
  • Deliver classroom lessons to address the needs of the students and teacher
  • Facilitate small groups
  • Meet individually with students to do brief, solution-focused counselling
  • Help students who are struggling to make positive behaviour choices
  • Collaborate with parents/guardians, teachers, support staff, and administration
  • Maintain confidentiality of students and their families unless there is a need to know or a safety concern
  • Provide education and information about students’ social-emotional needs
  • Work with only “problem” students
  • Assign grades after lessons or teach academic subjects
  • Facilitate therapy groups
  • Meet individually with students to do long-term mental health counselling/therapy
  • Handle the discipline or assign consequences
  • Collaborate with only one person - a team approach including the Guidance Counsellor works best
  • Share information about students and their families to appease the curiosity of others
  • Tell teachers how to teach in their classrooms or tell parents/guardians how to parent at home

Back to top