​Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services inc.

School based Services

School Support Services SYFS has strong partnerships with the communities we serve and work in collaboration with schools to provide wraparound services to families who need additional supports.

Wraparound Services

  • SYFS staff will provide support to families identified and referred by the school district
  • Services include crisis management, linkages to other supportive services, assistance with problem solving and communication with other professional and natural supports.
  • Brief family counseling may also be offered in certain circumstances.
  • Length of time with a family will be dependent on the unique needs of each case.
  • SYFS staff will maintain regular contact with school personnel and attend school meetings, as needed.
  • Services may be provided in the school, home, or community based location that is most comfortable to the client/family.

School Based Counseling

  • SYFS staff will provide individual therapy for students who are in need of counseling.  This counseling would not be billed to the student’s insurance.
  • Schools may opt to refer students if there are no appropriate outside resources available, if students are on waitlists for outside counseling, if a student cannot travel to or access a treatment provider, or if there are no treatment resources that match the insurance of the student.

Psychoeducation Workshops

All workshops are designed to fit into one class period unless otherwise noted. They are intended for larger audiences. Workshops options include:
  • Vaping 101 for elementary and middle school students
  • Mental Health 101 for elementary, middle, and high school students
  • 90 minute One Love (intimate partner violence education program for 11th and 12th graders)
  • Requests for workshops on other topics may be considered
Shrewsbury-family-services

8 Hour College Readiness Program

This program is intended for seniors and can be delivered in the classroom.  Topics covered include:

  • Introduction to Mental Health
  • Pressures of College
  • How to Help a Friend
  • Substance Use
  • Time Management
  • Healthy Relationships (One Love Program)
  • Self-Care

Social-Emotional Development Groups

These groups are designed for late elementary and middle school students.  Each group is 4-6 sessions that last 45-60 minutes each. In these groups, students will learn to navigate peer pressure and how to maintain old friendships while making room for new ones. We cover concerns that students may have about fitting in and how to respond to bullying.  Students will learn how to strengthen their self- confidence, manage emotions, and communicate better with friends and family members. There will be plenty of practice in decision making, coping with difficult situations, and problem solving. Throughout the curriculum, we integrate growth mindset and goal setting.  These groups are designed for 6-12 students per section and are run by Master’s level interns.

Behavioral Health Consultation Services

Behavioral Health Consultation services are provided by a culturally competent Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who has training in a variety of evidenced based practices and extensive experience with children and adolescents. Consultation services include meetings with various school staff to discuss specific students and other student related concerns. Meetings can be scheduled regularly or on an as needed basis. Additionally, this consultant is educated on a variety of local and state resources that may benefit certain students. These types of supports include community based mental health agencies, the Department of Mental Health, The Department of Developmental Services, Neuropsychological Assessments, Psychiatry/Medication Evaluations, and more.  These consultations support school staff, students, and their families with linkages to these types of services as well as assist schools with problem solving and communication with other professional and natural supports within the school environment. This service includes a written report of recommendations, however it does NOT include diagnosis.

Vaping Treatment Program

Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, Inc. (SYFS) has developed an innovative vaping treatment program for youth.  SYFS’s program provides psychoeducation around vaping, builds motivation to reduce vaping and teaches concrete skills to make decreasing harm from vaping and quitting possible.  The program is intended to be delivered at school. Our program is grounded in the evidence-based practices, Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), both of which are promoted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.  Vaping is an addiction and requires treatment, like any other substance use disorder.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches school personnel how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This 6-hour training gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to adolescents (ages 12-18) who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.

Teen Mental Health First Aid

The teen MHFA Course teaches high school students how to provide mental health first aid to their friends. tMHFA is taught by adult Instructors to teens.  During the program, students learn the teen MHFA Action Plan, as well as information about different types of mental health problems and mental health crisis situations in young people and how to help their peers. Schools must train a minimum of 10% of their faculty in Youth Mental Health First Aid prior to implementing  tMHFA. This training is designed to be provided for an entire grade level. Schools may choose 10th, 11th, or 12th grades and the course is delivered over 5 forty-five to sixty minute sessions.

Billing

All School Based Services are documented on a spreadsheet accounting for time spent. Invoices are sent to school districts on a monthly or quarterly basis. A minimum of $10,000 for 130 hours during the school year is required. 

Contact Christine Mowry for more information (508) 845-6932 cmowry@syfs-ma.org