Jefferson County, Texas – Additional 15 mental health counselors will be added to Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) this year.
This school year, additional help from counselors will be provided to help Jefferson County students who have mental health and critical behavioral needs. Health officials believe that the addition will lead to good outcomes, decreasing barriers to learning and achieving fewer classroom disruptions.
The additional 15 mental health counselors have been hired by the JCPS. They will assist high-risk students with mental and behavioral issues such as grief, anxiety, disciplinary issues, anger problems, as well as with family issues. The counselors will serve as an urgent care near me facility to such students.
A survey among JCPS principals was conducted earlier this year, which indicated that high-risk students need to be prioritized. Hence, they arrived at the employment of more counselors. The Wheatley Elementary School principal William Bunton said students with “episodes” or issues, causes distraction during learning processes, and teachers tend to lose a lot of their instructional time attending to them.
The counselors will serve as a constant presence in schools. They will help in removing student learning barriers, Burton added. High-risk students oftentimes act out, without knowing how to express themselves properly, and that they will need an urgent care during trying times. Only the counselors will have the proper strategies and skills to help them cope.
The additional mental health counselors will be assigned to different JCPS such as the Wheatley, Rutherford, Price, Trunnell, Farnsley, and so on. The assignment of counselors was based on the number of students with the highest counseling needs. Also, they will be asked to visit other sites if necessary.
The entire program will cost a total of $686,145 from the district general funds. Michelle Sircy, JCPS counselor specialist said evaluation will be done throughout the school year, and assessment will be done at the year-end.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said about 20% of school-age children have mental health and behavioral issues. Thus, the licensed and trained counselors will serve as urgent care clinics, working alongside with the school counselors, while coordinating services.
The JCPS has categorized behavioral and mental health support into three levels, namely Tier I, Tier II, Tier III. Each class consists of specific target groups, intervention procedure, and support system. Every category will serve as an urgent care clinic provided by counselors. A nonprofit entity, the Seven Counties Service will also collaborate with 120 JCPS schools to provide behavioral, mental, and developmental services aside from the additional 15 mental health counselors.
