School-Based Mental Health Team
Supporting Our Students and School Communities
Prince George County Public Schools is committed to addressing the social-emotional needs of our students. We have a school-based mental health team that is trained and dedicated to building a tiered model for school mental health support. Our team consists of school counselors, school social workers and school psychologists. They work collaboratively with our schools, families and community to offer services, resources and assistance to support sustainability for a well-balanced environment.
Who Serves Our Students?
School-based mental health staff play an essential role in supporting the mental and emotional needs of our students. These individuals provide a safe space for students to receive guidance, all focused on ensuring each student has the tools they need to succeed and improving their overall well-being.
Click the dropdown box below to learn how each element of our school-based mental health team works collaboratively in support of the children of Prince George County Public Schools.
School Counselors
School counselors support the needs of students across their entire educational journey, spanning elementary and secondary-level instruction.
Elementary School Counselors, comprising Grades PreK-5 provide a comprehensive, developmental counseling program addressing the academic, career and personal/ social development of all students. Elementary School Counselors work collaboratively with students, educators, parents and the community to support our student's ability to achieve. Responsive services, such as classroom lessons on building character, small group counseling and individual counseling have been designed to help students acquire skills necessary to become responsible citizens and lifelong learners.
At the secondary level, traditionally Grades 6-12, school counselors provide a school counseling program that helps all students enhance their social/emotional development and attain the mindsets and behaviors needed for success while recognizing that growth in the three domains of academic, career, and social/emotional development is necessary for students to be successful now and later in life.
School Psychologists
School Psychologists provide comprehensive services to school staff and families to support students' academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs. Our district's school psychologists participate in school-based intervention teams and assist in designing academic and behavioral interventions. School psychologists conduct psycho-educational evaluations to identify students' strengths and weaknesses as well as potential barriers to learning. Additionally, school psychologists also provide mental health support as part of the crisis intervention process involving possible suicide prevention or threat assessment process.
School psychologists are required to have a minimum of 60 graduate level credits in school psychology and complete a full year of supervised internship to become licensed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) as a school psychologist. School Psychologists have a wide range of training that includes individual psychological assessment (cognitive, educational, social, behavioral, emotional), consultation, counseling, academic and behavioral interventions, academic instruction, statistics and research methods, legal/ethical and professional standards, etc. that provides a knowledge base to promote a best practice approach to professional service.
School Social Workers
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, School Social Workers possess a Master of Social Work, and a Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) license. School Social Workers are guided by professional ethics, including the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and the supplemental SSWAA Ethical Guidelines for School Social Work, in addition to following school division guidelines and policies.
School social workers are mental health professionals trained to provide a variety of services to students, parents/ families, communities, and school staff. School social workers provide assessment services, crisis intervention services, school-based counseling, case management, and other student-based services within the school setting. Additionally, school social workers provide services to parents/families and the communities, by serving as a school-community liaison, analyzing community systems for appropriate resource referrals, implementing programs to address familial/community needs, and providing psycho-educational support, as needed.
School social workers also support school staff by providing consultation on mental/behavioral health needs of students, providing training on mental/behavioral health, and providing training and/or education on factors that may impact students, families, and their communities.
Resources for Students & Families
Our goal is to ensure our students and families have access to valuable resources to support their mental health both while in school and at home. Our district has compiled a list of resources that Prince George County Public Schools students, their families, and our community are encouraged to review and take advantage of.
Supporting Our Staff Who Support Our Community
Our district is committed to retaining high-quality school counselors, school social workers and school psychologists to support our students and school community.As part of our efforts, incentives including hiring and retention bonuses are offered to qualifying staff members serving in these capacities within our schools.