A support group run by a counselor at Columbia's Longfellow Elementary School helped Milton Long's 8-year-old son deal with his anger after Mr. Long and his wife divorced in August.
"His anxiety level settled down," Mr. Long said. "He was more comfortable with himself that things would work out."
Mr. Long, many other Howard County parents and school counselors say they believe these types of groups are essential for students struggling with trauma in their lives.
Some parents, however, question whether such nonacademic programs have burdened the schools and reduced the amount of time devoted to academics.
"Schools can't be all things to all people, otherwise they cease to be effective," said county school board member Stephen Bounds, who won a board seat this year by campaigning on a back-to-basics theme.
In the county schools, about 80 guidance counselors offer group and individual counseling to students on a range of emotional topics, including bereavement, friendship and self-esteem.
Every county elementary school offers the support groups -- withsome having more than 100 pupils participating.
At middle schools, support groups decrease as students become busier and more reluctant to share their feelings in groups. There are no groups at high schools, said Don McBrien, the school system's pupil services director.
A typical support group meeting of children going through a divorce and separation in their families lasts about 30 minutes. They are held once a week for six to eight weeks, with six to eight students in a group on average.
At Longfellow Elementary School, children meet during lunch or recess with guidance counselor Susan Castelbaum in an office decorated with colorful posters, a neon-pink beanbag, books, games and stuffed animals.
During the meetings, students draw and use therapeutic board games and books to discuss their anxieties about divorce and separation.
"In a fun way, they get to express themselves," Ms. Castelbaum said. "It gives them a structured way.
"Our main message is to talk it out," said Ms. Castelbaum, who also encourages students to talk to their parents.
Counselors said divorce and separation often shatter a child's world, so they try to put the trauma into a larger context for them.
"I make sure I get across to children that none of this is their fault," said Janet Tlanda, a guidance counselor at Hammond and Forest Ridge elementary schools in Laurel.
"There wasn't anything they could have done. It's an adult decision."
Some parents said the groups give children a chance to talk about issues they would feel uncomfortable discussing at home.
"They liked having a place to go where they could talk without hurting mom's and dad's feelings," said Linda Kangrga-Monroe, a Harpers Choice parent, whose three oldest children have received counseling at school.
Students agreed. "It's good to have someone to talk to, instead of holding it in," said Erica Beall, a second-grader at Longfellow Elementary whose parents are divorced. "When I keep things in, it doesn't really feel good."
But Mr. Bounds and others question the value of such nonacademic programs.
During his campaign earlier this year, Mr. Bounds said many parents complained to him that students are not focusing enough on academics. Now he wants to study the effectiveness of support groups.
"They're laudable goals," Mr. Bounds said of the support groups. "But there are a limited amount of things teachers can balance on their plates."
Determining how to balance support groups with academic subjects will be difficult.
"Some of those issues will impact on students' ability to learn," Mr. Bounds said. "They're tough calls."
School counselors said the sessions are definitely needed.
"Every day we're dealing with the whole child," said Helen Mercer, a guidance counselor who works at Manor Woods Elementary in Ellicott City and Pointers Run Elementary in Clarksville.
"We're not dealing with children who compartmentalize" their emotions, she said.
Independent family therapists concur. "It helps normalize what kids are going through," said Kathy Helt, administrative director of the Center Of Divorce and Separation in Columbia. "Kids often feel they're the only ones."
And some students who have received the counseling said they have learned to channel their emotions more effectively.
Mr. Long's 8-year-old son, Marques, said that instead of fighting with his classmates, he now finds other ways to vent his anger.
"I go in my room and play my favorite video game, 'Jurassic Park,' " said the third-grader who went through eight weeks of counseling in school. "And if that doesn't work, I go on my brother's bed and beat my brother's teddies."