For Guttenberg educators, preparing students for success means more than academic achievement. It means helping them build the interpersonal skills they need to communicate effectively, manage emotions, and foster positive relationships. By prioritizing Silas’ Interpersonal Skills screener and lessons schoolwide, Guttenberg is taking a proactive approach to ensuring every student feels supported and heard.
Screening Every Student to Respond Proactively
Rather than waiting for challenges to surface, Guttenberg begins with data. Counselors administer Silas’ Interpersonal Skills screener schoolwide to establish a baseline and identify where students may need additional support.
As Student Assistance Coordinator Evelyn Collazo explains, “We use our pre test… to see where the kids are at. The counselors...go into each classroom, which also takes advantage of them introducing themselves and saying, ‘Hey, I’m your counselor.’”
That initial classroom visit serves two purposes: it provides valuable insight into student needs and begins building relationships early. Using the red, yellow, and green flag system, counselors can prioritize the students who need immediate attention, including those who might otherwise remain unnoticed.
From there, the work becomes personal and consistent. Evelyn shares that when meeting with students flagged red, counselors focus first on trust: “We don’t say anything about the pre test because we ...want then to be honest. [We] get to know them… meet with them every week and then obviously hope to see that when they do take the post test later on, the red flag obviously doesn’t stay red.”
This relationship-driven approach forms the foundation for six-week group rotations throughout the year, ensuring support evolves alongside student needs.
Meeting Interpersonal Needs in the Moment
Counselors are often the first to hear about conflicts, boundary issues, or moments of disrespect, and they need support they can implement immediately. For Guttenberg, Silas provides ready-to-use, standards-aligned content that can be implemented immediately. Counselors and behaviorists use it across school settings, from small groups to after-school programs.
During sessions, Guttenberg emphasizes hands-on engagement. Counselors often print worksheets, play videos, and follow Silas’ built-in scripts to guide discussion. They also adapt language when needed, including translating for classrooms that include both English and Spanish speakers. That flexibility allows staff to respond to immediate needs, whether reinforcing respectful boundaries or addressing peer conflict, without sacrificing structure.
For Evelyn, Silas also includes trusted lessons she returns to consistently, including a reflection activity about self-perception: “That's one of my favorite lessons. It’s usually the one I always start with when I talk to all my kids."
The result is a balanced approach: structured guidance when it’s needed most, delivered in ways that fit naturally into Guttenberg’s counseling environment.
Meaningful Shifts in Communication, Respect, and Self-Regulation
At Guttenberg, impact doesn’t look the same at every grade level, and that’s expected in a Pre-K3 through eighth grade district. Still, counselors are seeing meaningful progress across age groups.
In the elementary grades, engagement is especially strong. As Evelyn shares, “Elementary level, I could 100 percent tell you that they are into it.” Younger students are receptive during a critical window for developing communication skills.
Middle school reactions vary, which Evelyn acknowledges candidly: “My seventh and eighth grade seem more receptive to it than my fifth and sixth.” While some students may be more resistant, older middle schoolers often demonstrate greater reflection and understanding.
But the most significant shift isn’t just participation. It’s communication.
Evelyn has seen students begin to self-identify challenges and seek help proactively. “There’s been a tweak in behavior of wanting to communicate more,” she explains. Students will approach her directly: “‘Ms. Collazo, I’m having an issue… can we talk?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, thank you for coming to me for this in the first place.’”
That willingness to initiate conversation reflects deeper growth. As Evelyn puts it, “The fact that they want to communicate and that they’re being respectful for themselves… I think there is definitely a change.”
Across developmental stages, this change signals interpersonal skills are taking root.
A Counselor’s Perspective
For educators looking for a flexible yet structured resource that supports real-time student needs, Evelyn’s advice is clear:
At Guttenberg, that ease of use translates into consistency. Silas is not an occasional tool; it is woven into daily school life, from universal screening and group design to in-the-moment intervention and relationship building. Over time, those consistent touchpoints help create something deeper than lesson delivery: they help create connection.
For Evelyn, the impact ultimately comes back to how students experience school itself:
In a district where students grow from early childhood through adolescence under one roof, maintaining that sense of safety and belonging matters. By prioritizing interpersonal skills schoolwide, Guttenberg is helping ensure that students don’t just learn, they feel supported, respected, and heard along the way.
Posted in Review
Unlock potential for next-level care
You may also like...
Related information and stories
Timely Session Notes: The Fastest Path to Cleaner Billing and Lower Audit Risk
In many ABA organizations, billing delays don’t start in the billing department. They start with late session notes. When documentation is delayed, the entire revenue cycle slows down. Billing teams can’t confidently…
CentralReach Introduces Agentic Layer to Automate and Accelerate Revenue Cycle Operations for Autism and IDD Care
New agentic layer enhances existing AI solutions with intelligent automation, powered by AI agents that audit, prepare, submit, and recover denied claims. March 25, 2026 – CentralReach, a leading provider of…
The Consequences of Inconsistent Documentation in ABA
In ABA therapy, documentation serves multiple purposes. It’s necessary for progress monitoring and clinical decision-making. It’s also essential for validating medical necessity and ensuring practices meet payor and regulatory requirements. Clear and consistent documentation is a…