Counseling Center

The Bishop McNamara High School Counseling Center is here to support our parents, our students, and our administrators, faculty and staff during times of grief and loss.  Our counselors are trained to provide grief counseling and support.  If you or your child has suffered a loss and would like to speak to a counselor please contact the Counseling Center to make an appointment.

Helping Your Grieving Child

It is very important that you talk to your child when he/she has suffered the loss of a loved one.  The New York University Child Study Center website provides some excellent information on helping teenagers cope with tragedy.  We strongly recommend the article on When Someone Close to your Child Dies Suddenly:  A Guide for Parents. Please take the time to read it; the second portion of the website is specifically geared toward helping a teenager who has lost a peer.  It offers information and guidance for parents on responding to your child’s grief and creating an ongoing dialogue with your child.  The first part of the web page may be helpful to you as well, as it guides us in how to help a friend or loved one cope.

Some students will need more support than others.  It is important to seek professional counseling if, after a matter of time, you feel your student is still struggling with his/her emotions.  Please read the “Symptoms of Complicated Grief” section below to help gather information about whether your student may need professional support.  If you feel your child would benefit from professional counseling we recommend that you work with a counselor who is experienced in providing grief and loss counseling.  Your health insurance provider and/or your pediatrician may be able to recommend a counselor.

Myths and Facts About Grief

MYTH:  The pain will go away faster if you ignore it.

Fact:  Trying to ignore your pain or keep it from surfacing will only make it worse in the long run.  For real healing it is necessary to face your grief and actively deal with it.

MYTH:  It’s important to “be strong” in the face of loss.

Fact:  Feeling sad, frightened, or lonely is a normal reaction to loss.  Crying doesn’t mean you are weak.  You don’t need to “protect” your family or friends by putting on a brave front.  Showing your true feelings can help them and you.

MYTH:  If you don’t cry, it means you aren’t sorry about the loss.

Fact:  Crying is a normal response to sadness, but it’s not the only one.  Those who don’t cry may feel the pain just as deeply as others.  They may simply have other ways of showing it.

MYTH:  Grief should last about a year.

Fact:  There is no right or wrong time frame for grieving.  How long it takes differs from person to person.

Source:  Center for Grief and Healing

Symptoms of Complicated Grief

• Feeling that life is empty or meaningless.
• Extreme anger or bitterness over the loss.
• Denial of the death or sense of disbelief.
• Searching for the person in familiar places.
• Avoiding things that remind you of the loved one.
• Intrusive thoughts or images of the loved one.
• Imagining that your loved one is alive.
• Intense longing and yearning for the deceased.

SCOIR is an online application designed to guide students through the college search and application process and to allow the Counseling Center to manage the flow of paperwork created during that process.  SCOIR provides a broad array of capabilities that our teachers, counselors, administrators, and students will use on a daily basis to collaborate, to monitor progress in the search and application process, and to guide each student through challenging academic and career decisions.

All students will receive an invitation to create their SCOIR account and password,  and an introduction to the tools available to them in SCOIR.  They will be expected to use these tools throughout their high school career.  Tools available to the students through SCOIR include:

• College Lookup – for researching information about colleges and universities
• College Match – generates a list of colleges that fit a student’s criteria for what they are looking for in a university.
• Statistical analysis of acceptance results for past BMHS students
• College Visits – A list of admissions representatives who will visit BMHS; students may register for the visits via SCOIR.
• Tracking tools for the college paperwork process, including Secondary School Reports, transcripts and recommendations, to ensure deadlines are met.
• Personal Bio/Activities and Achievements – To help students develop a resume to submit with college or employment applications.

• For Bishop McNamara High School Alumni - please order records HERE.
• For La Reine High School Alumni - go to Maryland State Department of Education, Nonpublic High School Transcripts.