School-based Counseling
One of the barriers I have found for getting children to receive mental health therapy is difficulty with transporting students to and from therapy sessions and not wanting the child to miss school, especially considering many parents first reach out to a therapist for their child because of school struggles. With school-based mental health services, the therapist comes to the child by providing services at their school. The child is still taken out of class, however, it is generally for 45-50 minutes rather than a couple hours when you include travel time to and from the session when it takes place at the therapist’s office. Sometimes, the therapist is able to work with the child’s school schedule in order to avoid the child missing the same class every time.
Additionally, with school-based mental health services, the therapist is able, with parent and/or child permission, to work closely with school teachers, counselors, personnel, and other staff to help meet the student’s needs. School-based mental health services are nearly identical in every way to traditional office-based mental health therapy other than the location where they are provided.
Common issues addressed in therapy include anxiety, depression, anger management, emotion regulation, frustration tolerance, and trauma processing. When therapy is provided in a setting the child is already familiar with, such as school, it allows for the therapeutic relationship to be built quickly, which is one of the most important indicators as to whether therapy will be effective.
Our vision is to inspire and empower change in our clients. We focus on guiding our clients to rally their strengths, discover new strengths and ideas so that you can first overcome and second reach your goals. If we can help, then please contact us, click here, so you can either give us a call or send us an email. Real Life Counseling is currently providing school-based services to students attending school in the Washougal, Battleground and Evergreen School Districts.
