Counseling / Social Skills

Counseling services at SINAI Schools are a fundamental component in the program for our students. Social workers and/or psychologists at all of our schools specialize in our students’ social and emotional development and provide counseling services both to our children and their families. Our mental health professionals work closely with school administrators, classroom teachers, and our other therapists (occupational therapists, physical therapists, music therapists, art therapists, and so on) to provide cohesive and consistent interventions for each student that can be carried out throughout the school day and at home.

Our social workers and school psychologists work on many levels to improve the mental health and social skills of our children. Students receive counseling services through talk or play therapy; families receive counseling services through one on one work with our therapists, as well as parent workshops and parent support opportunities; and staff work together with our mental health professionals in order to mirror interventions the students experience during more direct counseling. 

In counseling sessions, SINAI students are seen either individually or in small groups. Goals of these sessions are reached through talk or play therapy, along with role play and work focused on communication and socialization skills. In addition, our mental health professionals run weekly sessions that take place in group settings in the classroom with teacher support, often focusing on social skills. The goals of the classroom sessions are to reinforce and generalize skills taught in the individualized or smaller group settings.  

SINAI’s mental health professionals meet weekly with the teachers, administration, and other therapists to update and review any and all needs of each student. Our approach is highly collaborative and supportive, ultimately benefitting each individual child in his or her social and emotional growth.