Counseling/Case Management Services
The philosophy and organization of counseling services within the Benedictine community is to encourage opportunities for learning and personal growth and to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn in a safe, healthy, and supportive environment. By teaming with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals, training and skills can be shared to positively shape each student's daily life experiences and to foster a school climate that addresses the individual needs of students with exceptionalities.
The Benedictine Counseling Department includes professionals in the areas of Counseling, Social Work, and School Psychology. The Counseling Department provides the following services:
Case Management Services
Each student is assigned a case manager. The case manager is responsible to coordinate contacts and collaborate with other professionals and family members who affect the child's life. Case managers act as a liaison within the residential and school settings to ensure program consistency and monitor progress. Each student's adaptive functioning; including their social-emotional development is evaluated annually. Assistance is provided to parents in planning for and managing visits home so that they are positive and productive experiences for both family and children.
Counseling
Counseling services, on both a small group and individual basis, are provided to students according to their age, adaptive behaviors, intellectual ability, and social-emotional needs. Counseling themes may include Socialization Training, Expression of Feelings, Anger Management, Character Development, Stranger Awareness, and Health and Safety. Resource materials designed for use with the handicapped including therapeutic games, audio-visual aides, puppets, books, music and art are utilized in counseling activities. Augmentative and alternative communication systems, relaxation-training methods, and sensory-integration techniques are also utilized in therapy sessions.
Counseling staff consult with teaching and residential staff regarding students' emotional levels, behavioral issues, and concerns to develop appropriate individualized educational goals, to monitor progress and tracking data. Counseling staff also provides crisis intervention services when the student is having significant problem behaviors.
Behavior Management
Counseling staff provides a hierarchy of behavior intervention services depending on the students' presenting needs. These may include Functional Behavior Assessment, Behavior Intervention Plan, crisis intervention services, and recommendations for therapeutic accommodations as appropriate for behavioral stabilization, including Resource Room.
Consultation
Counseling staff provide guidance and in-services on a variety of topics, including but not limited to, teaching and learning strategies, classroom management techniques, managing disruptive behaviors, physical intervention, and best approaches to working with special needs students, including effective program planning.
Social Work Services
Social work services include teaching and training professional colleagues in the knowledge and values relevant to children and clients attending The Benedictine School in keeping with the ethical standards set forth by the National Association of Social Workers. School Social Workers present an in-service annually to all staff on how to recognize and report abuse as well as during an orientation period throughout the school year for new staff. In addition, the Social Worker also is the point of contact with the Department of Social Services and assists to facilitate investigations within the school when any abuse is reported. During scheduled school breaks, the Social Worker serves as the liaison between school staff and caregivers to ensure the safe transport and arrival of all school students.
Psychological Services
School based psychological services include assessment of cognitive functioning, personality and emotional development, adaptive behaviors, and other alternative assessments in keeping with the ethical and professional standards and practices as prescribed by the National Association of School Psychologists and the Maryland Association of School Psychological Services. Research and planning including evaluating standardized tests for reliability, validity, and fairness in terms of psychometric properties, bias, and their impact on diverse student populations as well as generating new knowledge about learning and behavior as related to students with special needs is also emphasized. Provide student IEP recommendations and, as appropriate, instructional strategies, accommodations and/or adaptations based on test results.