Olathe Public Schools is proud to have our buildings staffed with school counselors and school social workers that can provide support to students. In addition to these resources, we have partnerships with many community providers to ensure that our students and and families have access to supports that meet their needs.
School Mental Health Resources (Available District Wide):
Health Partnership Clinic’s Wellness Advocate (Available at Olathe North High School and Santa Fe Trail Middle School): HPC and Olathe Public Schools have united to form an innovative program in two of our Olathe schools that provides on-site access to a licensed mental-health clinician. This Wellness Advocate works full-time between Olathe North High School and Santa Fe Trail Middle School working with students and their families providing individual, family, and group therapy addressing a wide variety of mental health and wellness needs. The Wellness Advocate can also help guide and refer families to other services provided through HPC here in Olathe, KS. Services are arranged through staff, parent, or self-referral and can only be conducted with parent or guardian consent. Learn more about HPC at: http://www.hpcjc.org/
Responsive Centers for Psychology and Learning (Available at Olathe Northwest High School): Responsive Centers has also partnered with Olathe Public Schools to provide on-site clinicians at Olathe Northwest High School. This referral based program also works to increase accessibility of services to students and families in the school setting. Services are arranged through staff, parent, or self-referral and can only be conducted with parent or guardian consent. Learn more about Responsive Centers at: http://www.responsivecenters.com/
H.E.L.P. Clinic: The H.E.L.P. Clinic’s goal is to support Olathe parents and students with the education and training opportunities that will have a positive impact on the quality of a student’s educational experiences and life, and Help Each Live Productively. Download the Clinic brochure: English Spanish
The H.E.L.P. Clinic operates in cooperation with the Olathe Public Schools and outside community agencies. For many, the clinic provides a convenient, inexpensive and supportive resource for dealing with various challenging situations surrounding students or families.
- Individual and family counseling consists of short-term counseling (six sessions) for students and their families.
- Parenting classes are designed for parents interested in improving their parenting skills. The class uses the “Becoming a Love and Logic Parent” material developed by the Cline/Fay Institute. For parents who want to raise children who are self-confident, motivated and ready for the real world, it is designed to help parents find the right answers and actions for those difficult moments during child rearing.
- Social skills classes serve those who need help in relating to and getting along with other students. These are structured classes in which a teaching format is used. For fourth-grade through 12th-grade students, classes are scheduled by age group and when minimum enrollments have been achieved.
- Play therapy is a technique where the child’s natural means of expression, namely play, is used as a therapeutic method to assist him/her in coping with stress or life difficulties. Play therapy is used effectively at the H.E.L.P. Clinic with children ages 5 to 8 years old. This method allows the child to manipulate the world on a smaller scale, something that cannot be done in the child’s everyday environment. By playing with specially selected materials, and with the guidance of a person who reacts in a designated manner, the child plays out his/her feelings, bringing hidden emotions to the surface where he/she can face them and cope with them.
More Partnerships and Opportunities are on the way for our students. Check back frequently as we create new pathways of accessibility for our students and families!
Written By: John Laffoon Date posted: September 30, 2016