We’re pleased to announce that PESA has begun making counseling services available at Vista San Gabriel Elementary in the Antelope Valley. The school of 657 students is part of the Wilsona School District, located in “one of the most underserved communities in the most underserved area of Los Angeles county,” says Executive Director Seymour Amster.
“The need has always been there,” says Amster, noting the area’s high population of foster, homeless and disadvantaged children. “But it’s especially critical now, in the wake of the pandemic. “Many of these kids have lost a family member. There’s definitely a need for grief counseling.”
But PESA’s services are not limited to reactive counseling, they include proactive counseling as well. In a recent virtual presentation to the faculty of VSG outlining the services that are being offered, Amster and Assistant Director of Internships Rudy Martinez, MSW outlined social/emotional learning with entire classrooms, counseling on behavioral concerns that can be offered to smaller groups of 5 to 10 students and, of course, individual counseling to those in need.
“We work with students using evidenced-based models such as Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), aggression replacement training, cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused brief therapy,” says Martinez. “We want to encourage the students to talk about anything on their minds to help them examine emotions and relationships with others.”
“We have been offering counseling services to Wilsona’s Challenger Middle School since August 2020,” says Amster, explaining that because it has been so well received, the program has been rolled out to the elementary-school kids of VSG. “Other providers have offered services, but I’ve been told that they never quite come through.”
By placing counselors physically on campus, PESA can provide professional help when and where it’s needed most. Says Amster: “As school personnel have told me, ‘we keep asking for services—and PESA keeps delivering.’” ■
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