School Consultation Service
We help schools and organizations help their students by putting proven mental health strategies in easy reach. Learn how you can support the mental health and wellness of kids and teens in your community.
McLean Hospital’s School Consultation Service is dedicated to empowering schools, organizations, and their communities to promote the positive mental health of their students.
Our service aims to expand the reach of evidence-based interventions. We accomplish this by translating strategies we use in our McLean treatment clinics for use in school-based settings.
The School Consultation Service works with stakeholders in all areas of a community who are invested in supporting the social-emotional development and well-being of children and adolescents.
McLean’s School Consultation Service works to:
- Expand the reach of research-informed strategies for youth
- Provide public education and skills training on mental illness
- Eliminate stigma, specifically through parent and family engagement throughout local communities
- Advance the science and professional practice of school mental health services through data collection and investigation
- Operate from a social justice framework to elevate diversity, equity, and inclusion in school-based settings
Looking for Care for a Child or Teen?
If your child is struggling to manage mental health challenges, McLean offers world-class direct care. Contact us today at 617.855.2820 to talk to our admissions specialists about treatment options.
Our Services
We provide services to public, private, charter, and therapeutic day schools and organizations across Massachusetts.
Our approach is based in a cognitive-behavioral treatment framework. Our strategies incorporate elements of various interventions, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), and motivational interviewing (MI).
Services for Schools
For schools, we provide the following consultation services, both in-person or virtual.
For faculty and staff we offer:
- Professional development workshops to increase training and dissemination of interventions proven to support the mental health needs of children and teens
- Case consultation on emotional and behavioral formulation, management, and planning for students whose mental health problems are negatively impacting their ability to engage in school
- Specialized training and consultation with key staff members, including nurses and school resource officers
- Therapeutic program consultation to increase the use and access of evidence-based practices to improve students’ overall functioning in areas such as curriculum development for therapeutic groups, skills coaching in the moment, or consultation on procedures to help staff feel more effective in the classroom
Our student services include:
- Co-facilitation (with school staff) of educational skills groups
- Student workshops focused on education on positive mental health or learning coping skills to increase emotion- and self-regulation
Our services for parents focus on:
- Parent workshops on mental health education and skills parents can use to promote their child’s well-being and resilience
A partnered school is assigned one McLean licensed psychologist for the duration of the academic year. To meet the diverse needs of their assigned school, this psychologist works closely with other members of the School Consultation Service team as well as expert researchers and clinicians across McLean.
Services for Organizations
For organizations, we provide educational workshops and trainings to community stakeholders on a variety of topics related to community education on positive mental health, including resilience in youth and supporting children and adolescents in different settings.
Contact Us
For more information or to engage with our services, please contact:
Maggie Gorraiz, PhD, Program Director
Phone: 617.674.5331
Email: @email
