School-Based Counseling
School-Based Mental Health Services
FCCS provides school-based mental health counseling for youth who are experiencing emotional or personal issues. Early identification and treatment can help youth more quickly recover and build resilience, benefit from their education, develop positive relationships, increase school attendance and positively impact long term outcomes.
Our school-based counselors provide medically necessary treatment to help youth with:
- Problems that block social, emotional or academic success
- Anxiety and depression
- Bullying
- Trauma (a history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse)
- Separation/Divorce related issues
- Loss/Bereavement
We can help parents and caregivers address family related concerns including discipline issues, adolescent concerns, homework routines and other needs of their children.
Advantages of school-based mental health services:
- In-school services are convenient for both children and families.
- Day time counseling services are often better for students and attendance rates are higher.
- With a site-based model, there is more opportunity for collaboration with school staff.
- Counseling services are provided with respect to academic schedules; students would miss more class time if they were pulled out for off-site appointments.
- Parents remain an integral part of their child’s intervention plan and the site-based model allows families to have better access to the counselors and resources available to them.
Our school-based mental health services are provided in partnership with school districts in Broome, Cortland and Madison counties including: Cortland, Chenango Forks, Cincinnatus, DeRuyter, Harpursville, Homer, Johnson City, Marathon, McGraw, Union-Endicott, Whitney Point, Windsor and Binghamton East Middle School.
Services include evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as well as medication management. Each student enrolled in services is screened for Adverse Childhood Experiences as part of the intake process allowing staff to quickly identify factors that may be impacting the child and work with the child, family, school district and other community agencies/resources to address areas of concern.
How does a child get referred to the program?
Referrals are accepted directly from the participating school districts. Other community providers working with the child and family can refer a child to the school-based program. Youth and their parents/guardian can also make a self-referral to the program.
What is the cost?
All youth are served regardless of insurance coverage or their family’s ability to pay ensuring that socio-economic factors do not prevent a child from accessing mental health services. Financial support for school-based services is received from the United Way of Broome County, United Way for Cortland County, and the Broome County Mental Health Department.
For more information or to learn about the referral process contact:
School-Based Program Director
(607) 753-0234 ext 113