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Rhetoric Counseling

Rhetoric Counseling

The Providence Christian Academy counseling team is committed to helping students develop their God given potential academically, behaviorally, emotionally, mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually.

The high school years are full of growth, promise, excitement, frustration, disappointment and hope. The Rhetoric School Counseling Department is comprised of educators uniquely trained in adolescent development, learning strategies, self-management and social/emotional skills, who understand and promote success among our PCA student body. Our counselors support students through this important developmental period through individual and group counseling, college and career planning and parent education. Please visit the links below for helpful resources in supporting your Rhetoric students. 

Resources for Rhetoric Students and Families

TN Mobile Crisis Services: Mobile Crisis Services is a 24/7/365 response team for those who are experiencing a mental health emergency.
https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/need-help/crisis-services/mobile-crisis-services.html

Axis: Navigating conversations around today’s issues (membership included for PCA families)
https://axis.org/

Common Sense Media: Independent ratings and reviews for entertainment
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Parents Who Fight: In home consultations to safeguard media devices
http://parentswhofight.com/about/

Protect Young Eyes: Explains social media, gaming, photo and video apps and offers THE PROTECT App for monitoring devices.
https://protectyoungeyes.com/resources/

Report Bullying


Meet our Rhetoric School Counselor:

Gabrielle “Gabby” Capurso joined the PCA community in 2018 and serves as the counselor for the School of Rhetoric. Gabby formerly served as a school counselor at Fairview High School in Williamson County and at the elementary level in New York. She holds a BS degree in Psychology from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and a MS in School Counseling from Long Island University. Gabby was born and raised in Long Island, New York and moved to middle Tennessee in 2007 with her husband Frank. Together they have 4 sons; Cole, Brett, Bryce and Grant. Using a biblically based solution-focused counseling approach, Gabby works with students individually and in small groups to support their social, emotional, academic, and spiritual growth. Her favorite thing about being a school counselor at PCA is having the opportunity to daily shepherd the hearts of young people towards Christ and helping them to seek Him through each situation. Outside of school, Gabby loves to serve her church community at World Outreach Church, spend time with friends and family, travel (especially to the beach), and interior design!

Gabby Capurso
615-904-0902
gcapurso@providencechristian.com
410 DeJarnette Lane Murfreesboro, TN 37130

Rhetoric Counseling Newsletters

  • New Year, New Teen?

    You did it! You have supported your high schooler through their first semester of a new school year at PCA! I imagine there were hard days, late nights, lots of words and maybe even more silence…but what I know is that you have been called to PCA for this time, for a great purpose!

    Each December, I have the privilege and blessings of visiting with our graduates as they come home from college! I love that they flock back to their alma mater, wanting to reconnect with their former teachers, counselors and administrators. They can’t wait to share all that the Lord is doing in their life, their mountaintop moments and their seasons in the valley. They still seek wisdom and place value on this place and these people! What I have noticed throughout years of having these conversations with PCA graduates is that they all, no matter their level of academic ability, come back to say that PCA prepared them well for college! The very courses you might hear your high schooler grumbling about at home this semester are the very courses our graduates say have prepared them the most for college! And they are so thankful to have had the foundation they received. Don’t you just love those full circle moments!

    • As we prepare for a new year, I encourage you to dream a little with your teen! Get curious about what they’re learning and how it is shaping their faith and worldview. Spend time while you have a slower pace to sit around the table and spark some conversation! Here are a few conversation starters to get you going;
    • When you think about this past year, are there experiences you hope to repeat? What about things you definitely don’t want to try again?
    • What would have to happen for 2023 to feel like a success for you?
    • What are your short term goals for this semester? What are your long term goals for college/life after high school?
    • How can I help you achieve those goals?
    • What are the ways that we can pray together for the new year?

    As you take time to learn about what’s important to your teen, what hasn’t gone so well, and what they see in their future, I pray you will connect in new ways! That your connection will be a place of safety, refuge and security when the next storm comes…let’s be honest, we know it’s coming! And that each of these moments would point you back to our own need, and our teenager’s need, for a savior. Emmanuel, God with us! He is our source of hope, our great deliverer, and all we need through the teen years and beyond! Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

  • Is Social Media Neutral?

    We all have our opinions about social media, the impact it is having on our kids and teens, and even in our adult lives. We are now beginning to see the research on brain development, sleep health and the lifelong impacts of screen time on this generation and it’s not pretty! But, we live in a digital world and our teens need to navigate this world well. So here we are, pioneer parenting in this generation. The folks at Axis have much to say about this! 

    For basically all of time, parents have taught children how to do things properly—things
    like building fires, saddling horses, baking bread, plowing fields, or, more recently, making
    phone calls, answering the door, and driving cars. But over the last few decades, this
    natural order has been upended, thanks to our immense technological advancements.
    Now, it’s the children who show parents how to send text messages, post on Facebook,
    use Snapchat filters, and make TikTok videos. As technology continues to advance
    rapidly, children adapt and learn while parents struggle to keep up…..

    What do teens think about their social media use? So is it neutral? Does it depend only on how a person uses it?

    For answers to these questions, and a Parent’s Guide to Social Media, check out this Axis Resource

  • Effective Goal Setting with Your Teens

    Welcome back! The second quarter can be a long stretch before the holidays and although we know that setting goals is an effective way to stay productive and engaged with the tasks before us, goal setting for teens can be overwhelming! Most teens have big goals and dreams but don’t yet have the experience of breaking down and organizing a goal into steps. Big goals like “Get a 4.0 GPA” or “Buy a car” can end in disappointment or abandoning goal setting all together! 

    At the start of each quarter I have been in the practice of walking my advisory through a goal setting activity that we revisit periodically throughout the year and assess where we are. If done without planning and intention, a goal could unintentionally hurt a growth mindset. Yet, structured goal setting can support a growth mindset by helping teens experience their own abilities and encourage them towards leadership. Goals need to be well-defined, measurable and include a support plan!

    In addition to helping teens develop a growth mindset, structured goal setting creates other benefits;

    • It teaches teens to manage and organize their time and tasks
    • It can increase motivation, self-efficacy, and sense of achievement
    • It shows teens how to utilize others for accountability and inspiration
    • It gives parents an opportunity to partner with teens in supporting their passions and interests

    How do you help your teen set effective goals? 
    1.)  Be sure it’s their goal, not yours
    2.)  Partner with them to support their interests
    3.)  Introduce goal setting as a tool to support their dreams during a time of non-conflict
    4.)  Allow them to be in control
    5.)  Assist them in framing their goals to be specific and measurable
    6.)  Help them to see a deeper value to setting goals; it’s more about the journey than the destination!

    It’s important for teens to know that sometimes a goal involves someone else’s decision: for example, making a sports team, being accepted into a specific college, getting an A, or winning a game. “I want to make thebaseball team” is admirable but may ultimately depend on a coach’s decision. Instead, help your teen identify the qualities and skills it would take for them to get onto the team, be accepted into the college, win the game, or get the grade they desire! You can help your teen to write their goals down, identify an accountability partner, and schedule a time to revisit or revise their goals!

    Let’s start this quarter off with teens who have vision, a plan and a growth-mindset!