The School Counseling Hub

“Most big transformations come about from the hundreds of tiny, almost imperceptible, steps we take along the way.
-Lori Gottlieb

Aquina

Aquina Seher

You can reach me on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Email: aseher@hometech.org
Phone: 530-872-1171

Hello, HomeTech Family! I am Aquina Seher, the school counselor.

Just to give some background, my experience in education really began when I substitute taught in numerous elementary, middle, and high schools. When I served as a counselor intern from 2018-2019, I worked with elementary aged students in small groups on emotional regulation, attendance, and social skills and met with high school students individually to discuss academics and emotional challenges.

I also led a group for high school girls on overcoming negative thinking. When I subbed for a high school counselor for half the 2020-2021 school year, I collaborated on academic/social-emotional concerns; met students one-on-one; revised schedules; and visited classrooms to help junior students prepare for senior year.

I understand that so many have been affected by the 2018 Camp Fire here in Paradise and other personal difficulties, and so, I want to operate from a trauma-informed approach. This approach generally looks like:

  • Nurturing positive connections between students and staff

  • Offering safe environments with simple behavioral expectations posted

  • Focusing on good moments and resilience

  • Developing social-emotional learning (SEL)

On that note, my counseling goals are to be a listening, supportive presence for students and families; help tap into students’ own intrinsic motivation; and provide tools as needed for students to better thrive. I look forward to meeting you and collaborating with you in pursuit of greater student well-being and success!

Note: To clarify, school counselors do not diagnose mental health conditions and we offer brief, short-term counseling, rather than long-term therapy. We do offer recommendations to community resources when students may benefit from a higher level of care. We work to help grow all students’ academic, social-emotional, and career development.

Thus, these are some of the areas that we typically address: 

  • Study Skills

  • Organization

  • Attendance

  • Social Skills/Friendship

  • Family Issues

  • Anger Management

  • Anxiety

  • Coping Skills

  • Grief/Loss

  • College/Career Planning



student drawings

4th Grade Burbank Elementary students drew posters  following a class activity on diversity & tolerance (students’ names were redacted).

And, here is a Google Document with more Community Resources, which former HomeTech teacher Marion Gorr and I created, with ideas from our administrative assistant Danielle Reinolds and Sheri Hanna from BCOE. This file will be updated as needed :)

Emergency Numbers

Call 911 if there is an emergency, or, if you are in crisis, reach out to: 

National Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line: Text TALK to 741741

BCOE Trauma Fire Recovery Team: 530-487-4418

Butte County Behavioral Health: 1-800-334-6622

The Butte County Office of Education (BCOE) lists the above numbers and has more wellness resources if you would like to browse their website.

student response note

At the end of a small group on overcoming negative thinking, an 11th/12th  grade student wrote the above responses in the group survey.