Many students come to The Calais School carrying heavy burdens from past adversities such as bullying, grief, and family conflict. At Calais, counselors and teachers work together to foster academic, emotional, and social growth while helping students with special needs and mental health issues overcome past adversity.

Calais offers robust therapeutic services in both individual and group settings. All students have weekly group counseling sessions, in which they learn and practice social-emotional skills such as challenging unhelpful thoughts, taking others’ perspectives, and effectively managing stress and anger. Individual counseling with a social worker, psychologist, or licensed professional counselor is provided as needed to address both in-the-moment and ongoing concerns.

A key component of Calais’ counseling program is the Counseling and Resource Center (CRC). Students can visit CRC to take breaks when overwhelmed, work through difficult emotional or behavioral situations, and build self-advocacy and self-regulation skills.

Ms. Marisa Bianchi works with Upper School students in the Counseling and Resource Center. When asked for her perspective on how Calais helps students overcome past adversity, she said, “As the CRC counselor, I’ve had the pleasure of working with students [individually] to overcome their anxiety and stress related to past traumas and current fears. At Calais, the counseling team works with the teaching staff to create an environment that is safe and inclusive by advocating for student needs on a case-by-case basis.”

Outside of counseling, students continue to be encouraged throughout the process of overcoming past adversity. By making friends, having access to both emotional and academic support while in school, and participating in extracurricular activities, students can regain lost opportunities that their hardships had prevented them from experiencing.

Clubs and electives during the school day — including sports, visual arts, and music, just to name a few examples — provide times of enjoyment in the midst of our students’ past and current struggles. These extracurricular activities also allow students to spend leisure time with friends and peers who can empathize with the experience of past adversity.

In the classroom, students benefit from academic programs that balance challenge with flexibility in order to support every learner. “We’ve worked with students with all different backgrounds who have had their own unique needs,” Ms. Bianchi remarks. “The teaching staff goes above and beyond to tailor their lesson plans to fit each student’s individual needs while working with the counseling team to make sure all of their academic, emotional, and social needs are met.”

The Calais School’s counseling programs, academic supports, related services, and extracurricular activities help students not only overcome past adversity but also achieve and experience beyond what they had previously imagined!

Learn more about  counseling and other related services at Calais by browsing our website!

 

 

This post was written by Katie G., Marketing Intern for The Calais School.