Therapeutic Services

Overview

PSYCHIATRIC, PSYCHOLOGICAL & SOCIAL WORK ASSESSMENTS

A Psychiatric consultant is available to review cases and advise our counselors.  School Social Workers also provide evaluations in addition to their counseling duties. The School Psychologist conducts triennial testing.

Counseling

Three full-time counselors work with students and their families to develop strong social skills, coping skills, and all of those skills and qualities that enable students to become successful students. Our social workers and psychologists work with parents and community professionals to create a web of support for each student to maximize their safety, well being and personal growth.

Group Therapy

Group therapy sessions are held once per week in advisory class. Special education teachers along with the support staff, work in teams co-leading group therapy sessions with all students. Periodically other special interest groups are held and may include such topics as substance abuse, healthy relationships and goal setting.

Care Plan

The MRA CARE PLAN (Choosing Alternative Responses to Events) is an intervention that is used when students are not abiding by the structures that we have in place to maintain a safe and orderly environment and to maintain growth and progress. When a student is placed on a CARE Plan it is an indication that a student has somehow gotten "off-track" and needs assistance getting back "on-track." It is for students who require additional supports or an alternative setting (the CARE room) to meet with success again.

The decision to place a student on a CARE Plan is made by the student's counselor and advisor via the CARE Plan Referral Form and the parent is notified by the MRA Principal or counselor.

Students on a CARE Plan must complete all CARE academic and other assignments under the supervision of the staff monitoring the CARE room and earn 21 Behavior Points and 21 Effort Points. If a student earns all their points he/she can earn their way out of CARE in one school day. Students who do not earn their points to be out will remain on the CARE Plan until they do.

Students assigned to the CARE Plan will work on an Accountability Sheet first that focuses on the difficulty they have been experiencing and how they can handle things more productively.

Ropes Challenge Course

Ropes Challenge Course activities have been integrated into the MRA program. The course involves a series of activities designed to challenge students to work cooperatively in a group and to take personal risks. Students meet these challenges in a playful, non-threatening setting. These activities build self-esteem, increase personal confidence, develop cooperative learning skills and promote leadership skills. Although these activities are scheduled through Physical Education classes, they are multi-disciplinary and therapeutic as they develop characteristics that lead to success in academics, as well as, social and physical areas.