We recently had the pleasure of meeting Sarah, a School Counselor at Cleminson Elementary School in the El Monte City School District. During our conversation, Sarah shared her background and path to counseling, debunked the notion that virtual therapy isn't suitable for younger students, and talked about her experiences referring students to Hazel Health.
School Counselors, such as Sarah, play a vital role in the Hazel program, and we are immensely thankful for their dedication to their students. Thanks to Sarah and her team, Cleminson Elementary students are receiving the mental health support they need to thrive in and out of the classroom.
What is your background? Walk me through your journey to becoming a School Counselor in El Monte.
I was sort of a late bloomer. It took me a long time to get through school and figure out what I really wanted to do. Through my journey, I did know that I wanted to work with children. I have family in the education field that suggested school counseling, and I am so glad that I chose school counseling because it really is my dream job. I love it. I love coming to work. I love where I work. I went to school for counseling, and I worked for LA Unified for about five years, and then I went into recruiting. But during 2020, I just had this pull, I want to go back to working with the kids, and I want to go back to school counseling. That's where I was really happy. So I went back, and here I am, and I'm loving it.
¿Cómo es su día a día como consejera escolar?
I try to make a calendar and try to schedule the day, but have to be really flexible because you never know what you're going to walk into. I do try not to plan anything on Mondays because that seems to be the day that everything happens. I do some classroom lessons, and I do all campaigns for our school, like Kindness Week and bully prevention. I do individual and small group counseling, parent meetings, and parent conferences, and I sit in on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for any of the students I’m working with so that way I can know the big picture. I do some supervision, which I like doing because I get to see the kids. So I do a little bit of everything.
¿Cómo se sintió cuando Hazel Health empezó a funcionar en su escuela?
We heard about Hazel during the summer, during our coming back training, and thought it was just another service that we were going to have to use and navigate through. We did not know how great it was going to be. We were all pleasantly surprised at how much support there was. There's feedback from the very beginning to the end like you are being handheld through the whole thing, which is so nice. And it was just such a different experience than we’ve ever had.
It is really nice to see the student’s appointments and how many times they've been seeing the therapist. That, to me, is such a difference, a world of difference from how other agencies work. Oh, and the other agencies will take like two or three weeks, maybe even a month to give us any feedback on the status of the referral. With Hazel, there is such a quick turnaround, so we’re so lucky.
¿Puede describir un poco el proceso de derivación? ¿Cómo decide qué alumnos derivar a Hazel?
The students that I decide that would benefit from Hazel are the students I know can sit long enough, and pay attention long enough. You have to know that student a little bit just to know what they're capable of and what they can do. It's knowing the student and kind of just getting a feel for what their needs are.
As far as the referral process. With Hazel, it literally takes one minute to just type in their name, speak with the parent, and send the referral. And then Hazel follows up with us. It's just life-changing for us.
On whether young students can benefit from virtual therapy
I have submitted referrals for first, second, and third grade. I have seen a complete turnaround. It's within the first two visits. Their heads are higher, they're happier, and they look forward to their sessions. I immediately see a difference. I think it is knowing that someone is caring for them and listening to them. They are finally able to be in a quiet safe space to explore or to explain what they're they're feeling or what they want to talk about. It's really special. For the students I have referred, you can tell the difference in two sessions, and parent feedback is really, really great, too.
After you submit a referral for a student, do you reach out to the family?
I send out a monthly email with your flyer, and I just build it up because it is amazing. But I build it up even more like this is an amazing opportunity for your children, it’s free. So if I have a student that comes to me, and I can tell that they're going to probably need some more sessions, then I will reach out to the parents and talk to them over the phone, or have them come in and we have a little meeting about what Hazel Health is and what it has to offer and how it does help our kiddos.
Can you tell me about your experience working with our providers?
Every therapist that I've worked with has been great. Awesome, friendly, patient. The kids love their therapists. Every student loves their therapist. So they're really, really, happy.
We are so grateful to Sarah for taking the time to chat with us about her journey and experience with the Hazel program!
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