Social Emotional Support

HCSD will provide students with all necessary mental health, behavioral, and emotional support as they return to school. These supports include:

• HCSD K-12 psychologists have received substantive clinical training in trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive teaching practices in addition to ongoing training in cognitive-behavioral (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapies (DBT) to help students develop skills in emotional regulation, mindfulness, and distress tolerance among other wellness skills. This past summer, psychologists and teacher leaders facilitated Professional Development in trauma-sensitive classrooms for our K-5 and 6-12 faculties. LMK and HHS have in place fully functioning DBT teams and work bi-weekly with a consulting psychologist. 

• During the 2020-21 school year, the LMK psychologists will partner with LMK physical education teachers to provide skills training in mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.  

• Psychologists are available  at each HCSD school to support students' emotional well being.  The District added psychological support in the 2020-21 budget to meet growing needs at Parsons Elementary School, Louis M. Klein Middle School, and Harrison High School.

• A district-wide behavioral specialist supports a comprehensive approach to addressing the social-emotional-behavioral needs of students and families. 

• The district is proactive in supporting wellness and providing social-emotional-learning and emotionally safe and sensitive classrooms for all students. 

• The clinical team provides additional support to students who struggle in this domain. They know who is most at risk, are trained to recognize signs of emotional distress and struggle, are aware of students who struggle and are well prepared to support.

• There is in place a systematic, coordinated, and coherent referral process from teachers to counselors to psychologists, under the supervision of the building administration. The system ensures that, when necessary, students receive increasing levels of support (from teacher consultation to direct counseling services) in the social-emotional-behavioral realm. Parents are an integral part of this process supported by systems that provide training and ongoing communication. 

• Parent support includes coordinated outreach by school psychologists and school counselors, in consultation with classroom teachers and school administrators, to determine student need. Staff is trained in how to talk with and support students during and after the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as information on developing coping and resilience skills for students, faculty, and staff.

Prioritizing the social-emotional needs of students is a critical component to student learning. HCSD has a robust Social-Emotional-Learning Curricula K-12. In addition, District psychologists have received substantive clinical training in trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive teaching practices in addition to ongoing training in cognitive-behavioral (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapies (DBT) to help students develop skills in emotional regulation, mindfulness, and distress tolerance among other wellness skills. A district-wide behavioral specialist supports a comprehensive approach to addressing the social-emotional-behavioral needs of students and families.  LMK physical education teachers and psychologists collaborate to provide universal access to DBT skills, and there is aTherapeutic Learning Center at HHS.

District staff is trained in how to talk with and support students during the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, and are skilled in developing coping and resilience skills for students, faculty, and staff. This summer, psychologists and teacher leaders facilitated Professional Development courses in managing  trauma-sensitive classrooms for our K-5 and 6-12 faculties. LMK and HHS have fully functioning DBT teams and work bi-weekly with a consulting psychologist.

Students and their families may access mental health resources provided by our school psychologists supported by our in class approach to social and emotional learning. Our Response to Intervention model, supports students who show signs of social-emotional-struggle. Concerns are brought to building Response to Intervention team.  The multidisciplinary team includes the building psychologist, will design targeted goals and increasingly levels of  interventions to support students.These supports include psychological consultation services, behavioral therapist support services, social skills training or psychological counseling. Parent support and parent training will be provided as appropriate and connections with community resources for families will be shared and developed. All of our psychologists are trained in trauma-informed and sensitive practices and will provide support to both students and teachers as needed.

School counselors will provide support to their caseload of students in the areas of academics, social/emotional health and wellness, and college and career readiness as they return to school.

• School counselors will meet with students and families individually and in small, socially distanced groups as appropriate (i.e. by caseload, by grade-level, etc.)

• In addition, group meetings will be held for students and parents around transition to middle school and high school, college planning, financial aid for college, college admissions process, etc. 

• Students and families may communicate directly and regularly with the school counselor via phone or email, and/or synchronous opportunities via Zoom or in the school counseling office.

• School counselors will coordinate and lead a comprehensive progress monitoring system for students and overseen by building administration which monitors all areas of student-life on an on-going basis. School counselors are proactive in their approach to support students who show indicators that they may need additional support.

• School counselors partner with teachers, teams of teachers, school psychologists and administration to prepare plans for student success and plan for increasing levels of support through a referral process when appropriate.

• Partnership with parents is an integral part of supporting students.  School counselors will include parents in the process of supporting students and parents are encouraged to use the school counselors as a resource.

• School counselors regularly plan and adjust each student's individualized four-year high school plan to meet the post-secondary needs and goals for all students.