Counseling and Evaluation

Who Are the Counseling and Evaluation Department at WPSD?

The Counseling and Evaluation Department consists of a School Psychologist, two School Counselors, an Art Therapist/Grief Counselor, and a Behavior Specialist.  Our job is to help our students succeed academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. The Counseling and Evaluation Department functions as a team who collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to create a safe, healthy, and supportive learning environment for all students that strengthen connections between home, school, and dorm.

The Counseling and Evaluation team members are highly trained in the fields of mental health, child development, school organization, learning styles and processes, behavior, motivation, and effective teaching. We work to find the best solution for each student and situation and use different strategies to address student needs and to improve school support systems. We work with students individually and in groups. We also develop programs to train teachers and parents regarding effective teaching and learning strategies, and effective techniques to manage behavior at home, in the dorm, and in the classroom.  In addition, the Counseling and Evaluation Department provides the following services.

Resources

Mental Health

Children come to school each day with more than their lunch and backpack. They bring a myriad of life factors that shape their learning and development. These influences range from family issues, health, and culture to behavior, learning style, and abilities. Virtually all are related to mental health.  Although historically mental health has been viewed through the lens of mental illness, (e.g., depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disease), we have come to recognize that good mental health is not simply the absence of illness, but also the possession of skills necessary to cope with life’s challenges.  As educators we need to understand the role mental health plays in the school context because it is so central to our students’ social, emotional, and academic success.  Read more…

Resource Guide

The Resource Guide of Behavioral Health Providers for Persons Who Are Deaf, Deafblind or Hard of Hearing provides a listing of mental health providers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals living in Allegheny County. Click on the cover to the right to either read the document online or to download a copy for your personal use.