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SERVICES
FOR EDUCATORS
 The Family Support
Center provides independent and public schools with guidance training,
consultation, and crisis counseling. Our mental health professionals
work directly in schools and centers to provide the most flexible
possible access for staff, students, and families. In addition to
helping the parents of your students, our school services and
specialized programs can help guide you and your students through all
aspects of mental health and behavior development.
School
Services
Specialized
Programs
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- Clinical Consultation/In-School Guidance
- Family Support Center professionals provide expert consultation to
school staff about the needs of individual students or groups. We also
guide staff on communications with families and treatment providers.
We help classroom teachers and other staff support children who are
receiving treatment or other specialized services to overcome mental
health or behavior problems.
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- Student Training
- Topics include risk-taking behavior, boundaries and limits,
communication, group relations, setting goals, decision making,
problem solving, conflict resolution, peer mediation/ relationships,
value clarification, leadership skills, violence prevention, diversity
training, and alcohol and other drug prevention.
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- Staff Training
- We train school staff and other professionals to help children and
youth build social competencies and effective coping skills. We also
train educators to identify the early signs of a problem, to
communicate constructively and clearly with parents and other family
members, and to build a collaborative relationship to support the
family and child in overcoming a problem. Training is available
through both specialized workshops and ongoing programs.
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- Parent Education & Support Services
- Presentation, workshops, support groups, and consultation help
parents understand their children's developmental needs and support
their development. Programs focus on skills to strengthen protective
factors and reduce risk factors for mental health and behavior
problems; communication skills to help children set goals, make
decisions, solve problems, resolve conflicts, and cope with common
life stresses and challenges; and ways to form networks of support
with other parents. To meet families' varied needs, services are
available during the day, in the evening, and on the weekend.
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- Early Screening and Behavior Review
- If a child's appearance, behavior change, or attitudes worry a
parent or school staff, if they wonder if there is already a serious problem with
a child, or if the behavior he or she is noticing may lead to a
serious problem in the future, an Early Screening/Behavior Review may
be requested. This service is a rapid, informal evaluation of an
individual student, followed by practical recommendations to parents.
The approach is flexible and tailored to each situation. The emphasis
is on what is best for the individual child. If follow-up is
recommended, possibilities may include a specific kind of assessment,
a support group, parent education, or a new strategy by the classroom
teacher, and others.
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- Clinical Assessments
- A child's behavioral or academic difficulties can reflect temporary
coping difficulties, a mental health problem, alcohol or other drug
use, or a combination of issues. To determine the most appropriate
course of action, a thorough assessment is essential. Upon request by
the family, our professionals conduct an in-depth assessment, using
information from the student, parents, teachers, guidance counselors,
and other key adults. We recommend follow-up action, community
resources, or outside treatment services if needed. We provide
assessments for children from pre-kindergarten through grade twelve.
Assessments are available either at the school or at the Center.
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- Training of Trainers
- FSC provides training in group leadership, group facilitation, and
effective methods for establishing and sustaining effective prevention
and early intervention efforts. We train adult mentors and youth group
leaders to serve as role models, communicate with youth and parents,
strengthen coping skills, identify risk factors, and make referrals.
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- Critical Incident Counseling/Crisis Response
Team
- The death of a student or staff member, a serious disciplinary
incident, or another crisis can overwhelm a school community.
Students, their parents, and school staff struggle to cope with
enormous grief, fear, anger, or other feelings. Our professionals
provide prompt, professional, on-site support.
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- PreventionWorks
- This is a comprehensive custom-designed alcohol, tobacco, and other
drug education/ prevention program for schools located outside the
Washington metropolitan area. The program is based on each school's
schedule and student's needs and includes student input and
evaluation, analysis of local and school risk environment,
teaching/training teams comprised of master-level educators, MSWs and
certified addictions counselors, selected hand outs and resources,
faculty and parent training, and "booster sessions".
Programs may include the following:
- Alcohol Use/Binge Drinking
- Tobacco Use
- Marijuana Use
- Effects of Other Drugs
- Intervention: How to Help a Friend
- Realities of High-Risk Behavior
- Influences of Advertising/Media
- Refusal Skills
- What is Addiction
- Questions & Answers
- Parent Training
- Staff Training/Support
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On
Target: Support for Youth in Alternative Programs
The FSC Prevention Resource Center offers the most current prevention
resources, materials, and expertise needed for successful efforts to
prevent and intervene early in youth alcohol, tobacco and other drug use
and behavioral and mental health problems that interfere with positive
child and adolescent development. Available are a wide range of topics
including: alcohol and drug prevention, violence prevention, eating
disorders, social skills training, bullying prevention, and mental health
information.
On Target is a program limited to
Montgomery County Public School Department of Alternative Programs
offering training (behavior plans, strategies for outreaching and
involving parents, teacher burnout, setting boundaries, fighting among
students, dealing with trauma issues, role of social work/therapeutic
interacting, discipline vs. punishment), support, consultation, guidance,
and referrals for parents, students, and staff that assist in providing a
positive, supportive, effective program that makes students better
learners who can eventually be transitioned back to the home school,
families are empowered to fully utilize the community and school resources
that are available, and the staffs can create a positive work and learning
environment in a setting that is safe and secure.
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Camp Counselor Support Program
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Summer is a time for children to relax, learn new
skills, and experience summer fun. Although
the pressures of school and homework have been alleviated, issues arise at
camp for which a social worker is able to provide a unique perspective often
lacking in a summer camp setting. This
perspective enables them to help summer camps to:
- better resolve conflicts among
campers,
- better resolve conflicts between campers and
staff,
- improve communication between staff and
administrators,
- train staff to handle difficult and special
needs children (ADD, ADHD, etc.),
- develop activities that help students build
confidence and grow as well as have fun, and
- address group dynamics among staff members in an
effort to improve efficiency and morale.
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- Preschool/Early Childhood Program
- Working in child care centers and preschools, FSC professionals help
staff to model, teach, and foster the positive personal and social
competencies that preschool and young elementary students need to
develop in healthy ways and reduce the likelihood of later problems.
Our professionals demonstrate skills and coach staff individually and
in groups. They provide staff and parents with consultation on the
needs of individual children.
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- Meeting the Challenge of Child Abuse
A workshop implemented in a case-focused, interactive approach,
combining didactic and small-group techniques. The workshop is led by
a professional with experience and expertise in child abuse
intervention. This workshop can be implemented as a one-time, 3-hour
presentation, in a series of three 1-hour presentations, or in another
format tailored to a school's needs. A Manual to Help School Staff
Recognize and Respond Effectively to Child Abuse, Neglect and Sexual
Harassment Issues as well as a follow-up consultation are included in
the cost of the workshop.
Contents of the Workshop:
- Background on Child Abuse,
Neglect, and Harassment
- Overview on Schools and
Intervention
- Definitions and Indicators
- Physical Abuse
- Neglect/Emotional
Maltreatment
- Sexual Abuse
- Sexual Harassment
- Abuse Indicators in General
- Reporting Laws
- Talking to a Child about
Possible Abuse
- The School Protocol
- Communicating with Parents
- Follow-Up
- Prevention Efforts
- Continuing Issues in
Follow-Up and Prevention
- Dealing with Staff Members'
Personal Reactions
- Resources
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- Peer
Mediation Program
An effective peer mediation program has
numerous benefits for a school community. Peer mediation results in
improved student self esteem, improved student ability to work in
groups, reduced rates of negative school incidents and suspensions,
prevention of gang involvement, improvement in the school climate and
foster the development of student leadership skills and community
service.
FSC is thrilled to collaborate with The
Partnership with Children, a prominent New York-based non-profit that
recently celebrated their 100th year anniversary. Through this
collaboration the Partnership's Peer Mediation program will provide
year-long professional development and training for student support
workers, guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators. The program
includes a step-by-step, week-by-week blueprint that details student
recruitment, interviewing, and commitment requirements for student
mediators. Students who successfully complete the training will conduct
peer mediations for students in all grades of the school and resulting
in agreements signed by the disputing children. Through this training,
schools will be able to guide and support students in becoming effective
peer mediators and leaders in an effort to promote a positive school
community. The Peer Mediation program can be implemented in elementary
school, middle school, and/or high school.
The professional development includes two
days of intensive training, followed by twice-monthly consultation for
the first four months and monthly consultation for the next four months,
with an evaluation and assessment at the end of the year.
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