School Based Counseling

We have clinicians who provide outpatient individual counseling to students within the school environment through individual contracts with schools.  We are registered as a vendor/third party provider in Delaware and Columbus City Schools.

Providing mental health services in the school setting encourages systems to work in collaboration to address the complex issues and diagnoses that we see in child and adolescent mental health.   On average, children spend six to eight hours per day in an academic setting for nine months per year. Academic personnel, who are already faced with limited time and resources, experience the effects of working with children who have mental health and behavioral health needs can find relief in the support we provide to schools.  We serve children who may have diagnoses such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder to name a few as well as those who have social or familial stressors that effect their day to day development.  These concerns could result in increased suspensions and expulsions for students and higher rates of burnout among staff.  Our school-based mental health model is a collaborative approach that brings clinical knowledge and services to the students and support staff in the schools.

Each school we serve has an identified referral person. This person has the necessary knowledge of the signs and symptoms needed to support an appropriate referral. Once the referral is made, consent is requested from the student’s parent/guardian, and the assigned clinician meets with the parent/ guardian and/or student in the school to complete the process. The school staff is supportive of our need for a confidential space to assess and treat the students and therefore offer an office that supports such. Clinician caseloads and placements are based on the number of referrals received and can vary from one to five days per week. Once treatment begins, clinicians work confidentially with students and coordinate with teachers.

The growth and success of our model is based on the clinical care we provide and the belief that it takes a systemic effort to create lasting change. Clinical progress would not be possible without a trusting and lasting relationship and this has been made easier by the successful collaboration between our schools.

Schools interested in our services may contact:

Jodi Schermerhorn
Clinical Director
(614) 442-7650 ext 08
jodi@sopcc.org