Brie Griffin

Mrs. Griffin is the most welcoming, friendly and caring school counselor! My daughter, Zoey, started kindergarten this year and every morning is a struggle to get her to school. At her school, the students walk by themselves to get breakfast and then head to their classroom. Unfortunately, walking alone is incredibly scary for my 5-year-old and we have needed support since the first week of school to successfully get Zoey out of the car and into the building. Every morning, Mrs. Griffin waits outside at the car line to walk my daughter inside. On the way to her class, they stop at Mrs. Griffin’s office so that Zoey has the opportunity to talk to her one on one. Mrs. Griffin is the only reason my daughter is willing to go to school every morning. As soon as she sees her in the car line, she immediately calms down and agrees to go inside with her. Zoey typically takes a while to feel comfortable around new people but she very quickly became attached to Mrs. Griffin. When she comes home each day, we ask her to share at least one positive moment from her day. Every positive story involves Mrs. Griffin. Their interactions are the highlight of her day! Zoey often shares how Mrs. Griffin will stop by throughout the day to say hello and check-in. When they see each other around the building, Mrs. Griffin always acknowledges her. One of the biggest challenges for Zoey at school is she feels as though no one knows her. The individual acknowledgement from Mrs. Griffin makes Zoey feel like someone cares and she’s not alone. Outside of school, we have crossed paths a few times at our local soccer place and Mrs. Griffin always says hello. Those interactions mean the world to Zoey because she says Mrs. Griffin must really know and care about her to say hello outside of school. Mrs. Griffin always supports and encourages Zoey. Zoey has a difficult time asking for help or letting teachers know when she needs something. Zoey now has a special hand-signal that lets each of her teachers know she needs to talk to Mrs. Griffin. The first time Zoey used her hand-signal, Mrs. Griffin was so proud of Zoey for using it to get her help and they called me to share in the excitement. Zoey struggles with a lot of school anxiety. To help her learn to manage her feelings in a productive way, Mrs. Griffin meets with Zoey to teach her healthy coping skills. When Mrs. Griffin notices Zoey is feeling uncomfortable and could use extra support at school, they will go to her office to practice calming techniques until Zoey is feeling better. Mrs. Griffin always models a positive attitude and inspires Zoey to be the best version of herself. Recently, Zoey’s class went on their first field trip. They visited the local library which is close enough that parent volunteers were not needed. However, Zoey is terrified of the school bus and had never traveled anywhere without family before. When she learned of the field trip, she refused to go. Mrs. Griffin offered to go with Zoey and stay by her side. Because Mrs. Griffin has repeatedly demonstrated to Zoey that she can trust her, Zoey was confident that Mrs. Griffin meant every word. Although she was still very anxious about going, Zoey went! She came home excited to tell me that Mrs. Griffin never left her side and continually engaged her in conversation which helped to distract her from her fears. Initially, my husband and I were apprehensive about how Zoey would react once they headed out of school; Mrs. Griffin made her comfortable in spite of her fears and we were thrilled that she took the time to help Zoey with what felt like such a big event in her life. Zoey is so happy she did not miss out on her first field trip, thanks to Mrs. Griffin! Mrs. Griffin has been the most compassionate, reassuring and attentive school counselor for Zoey. She never gives up on Zoey and goes above and beyond to help her feel comfortable at school. We communicate daily so that Mrs. Griffin knows how Zoey is doing at home. She uses the information to help guide conversations with Zoey so they can work through her struggles together. Zoey recently told us that Mrs. Griffin makes her feel safe. Knowing someone will be with our child to comfort and support them continuously gives us so much peace as we send her off to school each day. The kindness that Mrs. Griffin shows my daughter every day is indescribable. She continually provides extra support for Zoey. Recently, Mrs. Griffin had a work conference to attend which meant she would be away from school. Recognizing that her absence would be challenging for Zoey, she helped to prepare her. First, Mrs. Griffin called me to create a plan for Zoey which included other staff members in place to help her, coping skill folders for school and home and reviewing strategies Zoey could use at school if she became overwhelmed. The day before she left, she met with Zoey to let her know she would be gone and share the plan she made to support her while she was away. While she was gone, she followed up to ensure Zoey’s needs were being met through the support of other staff members. Mrs. Griffin exceeded our expectations with her dedication to help Zoey. She always provides Zoey with extra care and tools to be successful. In addition to providing continual support for Zoey at school, Mrs. Griffin has been offering us ways to help her at home as well. After school, Zoey often has trouble expressing her feelings about the school day, without the conversation leading to a meltdown. To help her cope with her feelings more productively, Mrs. Griffin sent home daily reflection worksheets for us to complete with Zoey. Zoey gets to circle the emotions she experienced that day, share things she learned, what she is grateful for and what made her happy. Instead of immediately becoming upset about her day, Zoey looks forward to the worksheet and relays information with a more positive outlook. We are confident that with Mrs. Griffin’s support, Zoey will continue to change her outlook on school. Mrs. Griffin really listens when you speak to her. At school, Zoey tends to be quiet and reserved but she asked me to let Mrs. Griffin know she enjoys being silly and dancing. One morning, Zoey was having a hard time handling her emotions. After practicing some coping skills together, Mrs. Griffin had Zoey’s teddy bear dance to the gummy bear song. Zoey thought it was hilarious and it helped to improve her mood. She is phenomenal at incorporating Zoey’s interests into strategies to help her boost her mood during tough situations! Zoey does not easily trust people but she feels so secure with Mrs. Griffin. Her unwavering support has made a profound impact on Zoey that will last a lifetime. All three of my school-aged children have been fortunate to have Mrs. Griffin as their school counselor. We have been hearing positive stories about her since my oldest entered kindergarten. Every year, she continues to offer unconditional support and guidance. As a parent, it is so difficult to watch your child go through hard situations. We are so thankful that Zoey has Mrs. Griffin to help teach and guide her as she learns to navigate school!

Zoey Barahona