Counseling at North Hills Prep
Clinical/Counseling Staff
The Clinical/DIS Counseling Department staff are licensed Marriage and Family Therapists dedicated to providing the highest quality clinical services. Effort is made to coordinate services with the school’s academic and behavior staff as well as other professionals who provide for the student’s therapeutic needs ( i.e., outpatient therapy and psychiatric services).
Clinical Director: Stephen Friedman, MA MFT
Counselors:
- Susan Sosa, MA MFT
- Judy Katz, MA MFT
Dean of Students: Frank Shapiro, MA MFT
Coordinated Services
Designated Individual Service (DIS) Counseling is usually funded by the student Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This weekly service allows the student to receive support through weekly counseling with a focus on social/emotional functioning that negatively affects academic progress. This service may also support the student in developing long-term academic and vocational goals and support the development of life skills needed as the student matures and develops more independence in the community. Counselors assist students in the development and implementation of an Individual Transition Plan (ITP). In addition to weekly counseling sessions, counselors are involved in consultations with teaching and behavioral staff, consult with outpatient service professionals, participate in IEP meetings, coordinate parent meetings, and are available during the school day when a student is experiencing a crisis situation.
For students enrolled privately (without an IEP), weekly counseling is available for an additional fee. Contact Stephen Friedman, Clinical Director, for details.
Education for Parents, Students, and Staff
The Counseling Department sponsors an ongoing series of educational programs for the school community.
Regular “Parent Forums” offer presentations on significant mental health topics and supportive services. In the past, topics have included: Substance Abuse and Treatment, Transition Services, Neurofeedback Treatment, Parenting Skills, and presentations on specific psychiatric diagnoses.
Students participate in prevention programs throughout the school year. These usually include programs on substance use and abuse, and sexuality issues.
Academic staff participate in staff inservices and consultations with the counseling staff. These include weekly “Team Meetings,” and inservice programs to assist staff in improving skills in order to work more effectively with a variety of students presenting with behavioral, emotional, and learning difficulties.
Referrals
To ensure that our students and their families receive appropriate and adequate services, counselors may provide referrals to community agencies (i.e., psychiatric hospitals, community mental health agencies, Department of Rehabilitation, substance abuse treatment centers) and/or individual private professionals (i.e., psychiatrists, psychotherapists, educational therapists).
The California Assembly Bill 3632 (AB3632) provides for additional mental health services that will be provided by the County Department of Mental Health. These services may be needed by students in order to successfully complete high school. Counselors may make a referral for DMH/AB3632 services through the IEP team when counseling services are insufficient to meet a student’s emotional and academic needs. These services may include: outpatient psychotherapy (individual, family, or group), psychiatric treatment, day treatment, or residential treatment. This is not an emergency procedure: the evaluation process takes approximately 90 days before a recommendation will be made in a reconvened IEP meeting.
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Counseling
