The School Child and Youth Counsellor (SCYC) provide services to students and their families, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. A secondary school student may receive support as a result of a Multidisciplinary Support Team intervention.
School Child and Youth Counsellors participate with School Resource Teams to determine the best way to support students who are experiencing challenges in their everyday lives. Students may require assistance with behavioural, social, emotional and academic issues in their school environment. SCYCs support students, parents and school staff in coping with these challenges through various interventions and/or referral processes.
Child and Youth Counsellors can provide the following services and interventions:
- advocacy for a student
- support for families (e.g., referral to medical and/or community mental health agency)
- liaison between home, school and community
- consultation to school personnel, families and community partners
- developing, implementing and facilitating prevention and intervention strategies to address individual, small group, classroom and universal needs
- up to six sessions of short-term, goal-specific individual interventions
- assisting with the development of behaviour plans
- providing guidance on development of safety plans
- crisis intervention
- a shared commitment to enhance the well-being of students and their families.
Referral Process
Referrals to a SCYC are made through the School Resource Team. The SCYC is a regular member of this school-based team and will participate in the referral process. Requests for SCYC intervention can be initiated by:
- students
- parents
- teachers
- school administrators
- other professionals
- community partners
Some SCYCs are members of an area Multidisciplinary Support Team and, as such, will participate with other professional services staff in a team approach for supporting students with complex needs. Other SCYCs are assigned to a school where they also support students who are placed in specialized classrooms.
Qualifications and Experience of a Child and Youth Counsellor
The required qualification for a School Child and Youth Counsellor is a three-year College diploma in Child and Youth Work or a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Youth Care. Many SCYCs at the Halton District School Board have previous experience in a therapeutic, mental health setting.
SCYCs have an understanding of more common mental health disorders, such as Anxiety Disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Tourettes and Spectrum Disorders. Some SCYCs specialize in providing training in school settings in the use of Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) as a preventative technique with children with explosive behaviours. They are also trained in Understanding and Managing Aggressive Behaviours (UMAB).
For further information please contact:
Student Services Department
New Street Education Centre
3250 New Street
Burlington, Ontario L7N 1M8
905-631-6120