Tag Archives: school-based mental health clinics

I Was Kevin’s Therapist

By Jennifer Triana, LCSW
School-Based Clinical Supervisor, Long Island City High School

School-based mental health services: I was Kevin's Therapist

Kevin is a shy, kind, and very intelligent 17-year-old from Queens. On a gorgeous, sunny day this spring, he dons a shiny blue cap and gown with a white stole that reads LIC HS 2017. We make eye contact as he walks down the aisle in Queens College auditorium, knowing how far he has come to achieve this moment.

I began working with Kevin in April 2016, when The Child Center of NY’s school-based mental health clinic at Long Island City High School opened. He was 16 years old but had only enough credits for freshman standing. We met when he was referred by his school guidance counselor for chronic absenteeism and depressed mood.

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Three Ways Schools Can Counter the Rise in Teen Suicide

And an Offer to Help Schools Implement One of Them

Just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, CNN reported last weekend on an alarming rise in children hospitalized with suicidal thoughts or actions. To those of us in the mental health field, the news was troubling and disheartening, but not surprising. At The Child Center of NY, which has been providing mental health services to children and families for more than 60 years, we’ve seen the increase firsthand across our clinics and other behavioral health programs. Thankfully, we’ve also seen what works to counter it: more mental health services in the place where kids spend most of their day — their schools — offered early, and on every level. Continue reading


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