Supporting and providing mental health services in schools for students and families fall into three categories:
Mentoring and other Practices
Success Mentoring is a program providing targeted supports for chronically absent students. Mentoring programs provide an adult at the school that students feel comfortable sharing their issues with that can be a path for knowing the mental health needs of that student.
Find out more about Success Mentoring, as well as the vast resources available, here.
Individual Counseling
Individual counseling can be provided either at the school or on a referral basis.
At the school: Individual counseling can be provided by a clinical social work or therapist on school grounds.
Referral system: All schools have a SMH partner that provides varying levels of support for the school- Mental Health Manager or Consultant; a 100 Schools Project partner; PIP team, etc.
Schools should work with their SMH partner to find community organizations and individuals who can provide counseling at low-no cost to families.
Family Supports
Many local CBOs and City Agencies have mental health supports for adults or families. Here are few OCS partners.
Family Assessment Program (FAP): FAP provides support to families that are struggling with everyday challenges. FAP works to strengthen families, reduce conflict, and connect your family to many services that provide ongoing support in your community. It helps families handle concerns such as a child running away, skipping school, or disruptive behavior, without having to go to court.
Schools should work with their SMH partner to find additional resources.
Additional Resources
Suicide Prevention Trainings
School Mental Health provides trainings to support school and CBO staff, parents, and other adults working with youth on suicide prevention.
Many of the trainings are tutorials found online while others are more comprehensive day long trainings.
You can also email MH@schools.nyc.gov for more information.
Free Mental Health Training
Mental Health First Aid This 2-day program is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people adolescent (age 12-18). The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
NYC WELL
To connect to a counselor in an emotionally intense moment, or if you think you or someone you know may need long term assistance to manage stress, you can connect to NYC WELL by dialing 1-888-NYC-WELL or by visiting NYC.gov/NYCWELL.
