The Prevention/Intervention Program promotes resiliency in adolescents by providing school-based, health-related prevention and intervention services. These services are focused on
- Strengthening the students’ capacities to be ready to learn
- Enhancing their abilities to be academically successful
- Supporting their positive social and emotional well-being
The work of a prevention/interventionist includes strategies and services that attend to both preventing and intervening in students’ behaviors and/or thinking that inhibit their academic and personal success.
Program Services
Prevention/interventionists act as a resource to students, in concert with the school community, by providing a variety of services, such as:
- Conducting assessments to determine level of intervention needed (for example, mental health assessment for safety; danger to self or others; or substance abuse)
- Providing crisis intervention services and referrals
- Offering brief, solution-focused counseling
- Supporting youth leadership and empowerment activities (for example, the Sources of Strength Program)
- Providing school-based grief and loss trauma response support services
- Consulting and action planning with school staff to forward prevention and intervention efforts
- Providing adult guidance to peer counseling, restorative justice, and peer mediation programs
- Sponsoring school-wide health education campaigns
- Facilitating psychosocial education groups
- Conducting presentations to students, faculty, and parents on critical issues impacting the adolescent population
- Acting as a referral conduit to more intensive community-based resources
- Coordination of community-based services offered on-site at schools.
Typically, Prevention/Intervention staff can provide more time to work in-depth with students and families than school counseling staff are able to commit, given scheduling, guidance, and testing responsibilities.
Student & Family Involvement
Student/family participation in the program is voluntary; it cannot be mandated. The student must agree to be seen. Services are available to all students in the school community and are provided free of charge.
Program Philosophy
Our philosophy is to involve parents whenever possible. Support is not restricted to students who are struggling academically; however, support may focus on emotional wellness needs that, if unaddressed, could impact student academic success.
A student may seem to be well-adjusted socially and academically and still receive services. Examples include students with issues related to:
- Stress
- Eating and body image
- Sexual orientation
- Gender expression
- Grief
Contact
The Prevention Intervention Program is managed by Mental Health Partners. For more information, please call 303-443-8500.