The Pennsbury School District has launched an on-site mental health counseling program for students and families at the high school level. The Monday through Friday program has been launched in conjunction with the district’s newly-formed Addiction and Mental Health Task Force.
Advertisements
The clinical counseling, in partnership with St. Mary Medical Center and Family Service Association of Bucks County, began last month at Pennsbury High School East. The district, according to a recent release, hopes to continue its partnership and expand the program to students and families in the elementary and middle school communities.
“This is a key component to the added services that we are providing to our students as a result of our new Task Force,” said Sherri Morett, director of special education. “Students in crisis require specialized attention, and this partnership enables us to take clinical action as needed. We are truly grateful to our community partners for working with us to provide this new addition to our on-site counseling services.”
The client base for the new mental health counseling program will come from the Richard J. Caron Foundation, which the district signed on to work with at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year. The board voted unanimously to approve a one-year $149,000 contract with the foundation to provide drug programs and related services in the district this school year.
Advertisements
A major step forward in curbing the epidemic came in August last year when School Board President Jacqui Redner announced the formation of the district’s Addiction and Mental Health Task Force. Redner made the announcement just weeks after her son Josh, 28, passed away from a drug overdose. Redner, a local champion for drug and mental health treatment, lost her eldest son, George, in 2015 to suicide.
The district’s beginning efforts can be largely contributed to the Johnson family, who after the loss of their 22-year-old son, Luke, made an emotional plea to the district. Johnson, a 2013 graduate of the district, was one of six recent graduates of Pennsbury High School who passed away in a two-week span in May due to the heroin epidemic.
Advertisements
Since the task-force announcement, the group has formed multiple subcommittees addressing a variety of issues and maximizing Pennsbury stakeholder involvement with contributions by School Directors, administrators, local elected officials, special education supervisors, social workers, nurses, and many others.
