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Greenvale School Psychologists
Dr. Francesco Bello, (914) 793-6130 x 5312
fbello@eufsdk12.org
Ms. Lindsay Kline, (914) 793-6130 x 5314
lkline@eufsdk12.org
Developmental Guidance Curriculum
This aspect for the program encompasses several lessons delivered by the Guidance Counselor in each elementary classroom. At each grade level, a different theme is focused on, aimed at developing children's skills in self-esteem, communication, and problem solving. During each lesson, children are encouraged to share their experiences and feelings regarding the lesson topic. Often a story or video relating to the lesson topic is reviewed and discussed. Reinforcement activities frequently close the lesson in the form of role-plays, work sheets, drawings, or songs, in order to help students retain what they have learned.
In grades two and four, an additional three visits are made to each classroom for the “Good Touches, Bad Touches” Sexual Abuse Prevention Program, which is mandated by the NYS Education Department. This program is delivered in much the same format as the core developmental lessons, with discussions, stories, role-plays, and reinforcement activities.
Counseling Support Services
The opportunity for all students to receive counseling is provided by the school counseling program. Students may be seen individually or in a group depending on their needs. Counseling services are provided by the school psychologist and the guidance counselor. Some group counseling themes include:
- FAMILY CHANGES for students dealing with a divorce, death, or remarriage.
- SOCIAL SKILLS groups for children who exhibit poor social skills and experience difficulty making friends.
- FRIENDSHIP groups for students who wish to improve their ability to maintain and initiate friendships.
- SELF-ESTEEM groups for students who need assistance identifying their strengths and improving their confidence.
In each group, children work on sharing their feelings appropriately and improving their ability to cope with particular concerns. By working on these skills in a group setting, children learn from each other, attain peer support, establish connections and take comfort in the fact that they are not alone in their concerns. Students may be referred for group counseling through a teacher, a parent, or may initiate participation themselves.
Additional Roles
In addition to providing counseling services to students, consultation with teachers and parents, crisis intervention, and Response-to-Intervention coordination, the school psychologist also evaluates students for the CSE. When a student is referred to the CSE, an extensive evaluation is conducted by the psychologist, the learning disabilities specialist, and the speech and language therapist. The psychologist's evaluation explores the student's cognitive functioning, perceptual motor integration skills, and emotional functioning.