Edgefield County Public School District's goal is to help provide our students, families, and staff with supports to keep us healthy and safe in all areas including social, emotional, behavioral and mental health. SEL Behavioral Support services are a MTSS Tier 3 level resource. The aim of the services are to provide social, emotional and behavioral supports to students and staff in order to help students grow, thrive, and be prepared for life after high school. Students may be referred by their school teams (MTSS, Data Teams and/or Wellness Teams).
Services
Services may include:
Individual Counseling. SEL Behavioral Support staff may provide follow-up counseling and support to students who have been referred through the intervention process at the school sites. Individual counseling addresses topics such as depression, anxiety, healthy peer relationships, emotional regulation, and school performance.
Group Counseling. SEL Behavioral Support staff may meet in small groups with students who are experiencing difficulty in academics, peer relations, or who are returning from the alternative school.
Family Counseling. SEL Behavioral Support staff may provide intake, assessment, and follow up counseling services to families whose student is involved in the disciplinary process or experiencing other difficulties affecting school performance. Families may address issues such as divorce, learning effective parenting skills, changing problem behavior, healing from trauma and past hurt, improving parent-child relationships, practicing effective communication, and resolving conflict.
Parent Education Groups. SEL Behavioral Support staff may provide parent education on a variety of topics including: parenting skills, effective communication, and improving the parent-child relationship.
Behavioral Support/Staff Consultation. SEL Behavioral Support staff are available to meet with teachers and/or teams who may be having difficulty with an at risk student and to facilitate meetings with the student, teacher, and parents upon request.
Staff/Faculty training. SEL Behavioral Support staff are available to provide professional development to staff on a variety of topics, including: behavioral management; trauma informed practices; de-escalation techniques; understanding disabilities and mental health diagnoses; matching interventions to behaviors; and/or incorporation of SEL practices in the classroom.
Community Outreach. SEL Behavioral Support staff are available to facilitate communication between families, schools and students' current providers or link parents with community resources.
Services include family therapy, individual counseling, group counseling, family counseling/education and training for schools and other community representatives on various topics. It is our hope that the combined efforts of parents, students, administrators, teachers and support staff will provide opportunities for strengthening families, supporting parents, and helping students develop strategies that will enable them to successfully complete the school year.
Staff
Jerilyn Harmon, Director of the Office of Exceptional Children, EdS
Elesha Ellison, Director of Counseling Services, Ed. S
Keri Reames, School Psychologist II, MS, NCSP, LPES
Cheryl Fischer, Coordinator of Social Emotional Learning, MS, LPC-S
John Williams, Coordinator of Alternative Learning
jowilliams@edgefield.k12.sc.us