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Counseling » Intervention Team

Intervention Team

Intervention & Supports Team – SOUTH HIGH 

(661) 831-3680

 
Joshua Porter, Assistant Principal of Instruction
Ext.77033  e-mail
 
Manuel Vasquez, Dean of Student Behaviors & Supports
Ext. 77033 e-mail
 
Terrence Banks, Dean of Student Behaviors & Supports
Ext. 77014 e-mail
 
Irene Ramey, Head Counselor
Ext. 77194 e-mail
 
Staci Wright -  Site Coordinator (PBIS-MTSS)
Ext. 77186 email
 
Alfredo Chavez – Intervention Counselor
Ext. 77198 e-mail
 
Jackie Lilly, Intervention Counselor
Ext. 77187 e-mail
 
Maritza Ayala, School Social Worker
Ext. 77130 e-mail
 
Joe Maldonado - Interventionist
Ext. 77130 e-mail
 
Derrel Henderson - Behavioral Interventionist
Ext. 77882 e-mail
 
Renata Cruz - Substance Abuse Specialist
Ext. 77130 e-mail
 
Paige Jelmini - School Mental Health Clinician
Ext. 77351 e-mail
 
Edith Munoz - School Psychologist
Ext. 77352 e-mail
 
Kevin Valentine  - School Psychologist
Ext. 77355 e-mail
 
Jesus Romero - Parent & Family Center, Community Specialist
Ext. 77245 e-mail
 
Travon Johnson - School Community Specialist
Ext. 77882 e-mail
 
Brent Williams - School Community Specialist
Ext. 77883 e-mail
 

Miroslava de León Ruiz - School Community Specialist

Ext 77130 e-mail

 
 
 
 
Tier I (Universal) Interventions and Supports:
 
All Tier 1 interventions are facilitated by all staff on school campus for ALL STUDENTS. Through Tier 1, ALL students learn about positive behavior expectations using the School Behavior Matrix and using structures and routines in a class setting. Our counselors are able to provide a variety of mental health and family support resources. South High staff are here to support ALL STUDENTS with personal, social, and mental health concerns. 
 
 
Tier II Interventions and Supports:
2
 
Tier 2 Intervention and Supports are those designed for 10-15% of the students who are not responding effectively to the Universal Supports of the school Tier 1/ RIGHT. These students need more intensive interventions to reduce problem behaviors. These interventions are designed to be quickly accessed, highly efficient, flexible, and to bring about rapid movement. Students who are not responding to Tier 1 interventions can be submitted for Tier 2 for more targeted, small group services.  The Tier 2 team consists of the Intervention Counselor, Interventionist, Social Worker, School Psychologist, Mental Health Clinician and administrator. 
 
At-Risk Indictors  
  • Behavior
  • Attendance
  • Grades/Credits 
  • Personal-Social
 
Sources for Identifying Students for Tier 2 Supports
  • Parents 
  • Students 
  • Staff 
  • Screening Tools 
 
 
WHAT SERVICES ARE OFFERED?
 
South  High implements a number of Evidence Based Interventions (EBIs). Additional EBIs may be added as curriculum becomes available.
 
Additionally, qualifying students may be enrolled in On Campus Intervention (OCI) or Spartan Advocacy Center (SHAC) to provide further intervention and support. 

 

Tier II Interventions may include:
▪  Why Try
Why try is a strength-based approach to helping youth to overcome their challenges and to improve
truancy, behavior, and academics outcomes. It is based on solution focused brief therapy and multisensory learning.
 
▪  Forward Thinking/Interactive Journaling Interactive Journaling is a structured and experiential writing process that motivates and guides youthtoward positive life change. This cognitive behavioral curriculum has nine different journals that offer a variety of strategies for facilitating one-to-one and group sessions.

▪  Conflict Mediation (SHAC)
Conflict mediation is aimed at teaching students more constructive means of handling conflict. 
I-statements, ground rules and a mediator are imperative to, exploring possible solution options, selecting solution options, and reaching an agreement.
 
▪  Mentoring
On site mentoring programs engages and empowers youth to increase resiliency, positive behaviors, and
healthy decision-making through outside organizations such as, Youth Leaders (Foster Youth/Homeless) and Garden Pathways.

▪  Grade/Attendance Checks
Grade/Attendance checks can help gauge where a student is at in their academic career. Absences can
be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with schoolwork, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
 
•    Substance Abuse Groups : The Matrix Model - for teens & young adults: This Evidence-based program is a complete outpatient treatment program for students through several corrective methods. The Matrix Model is a substance abuse program that targets individuals between the ages of 13 to 25 using therapeutic techniques: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (СВТ), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). The program includes four core clinical areas that are essential when working with students: individual family therapy, early recovery, relapse prevention, and family education.
- Carey Guides are used in addition to the Matrix for behavior change and recidivism reduction by helping students understand the personal and environmental factors underlying their offending behavior and be taught the skills needed to make positive changes in the future.
- Carey Guides are used to address risk factors, triggers and other conditions that are essential to a student's success.

 

•    Anger Management : Anger Management Essential is 10-12 weeks cognitive behavioral theoretical (CBT) based lesson plan that covers important aspects of implementing an anger management group for teens. Anger Management Essentials program provides problem-solving, stress management and relaxation techniques. Empathy and increased emotional intelligence. Also includes on how to replace unhealthy beliefs with helpful ones and how to get what I want through better communications, listening, and healthy boundaries. Curriculum can be facilitated one-to-one and group sessions.

 

Targeted Tutoring/Academics
 
  Check In-Check Out (CICO)
CICO is standardized monitoring intervention that increases positive adult contact while providing frequent feedback, daily home-school communication, and positive reinforcement contingent on meeting behavioral goals.

 Restorative Circles/Practices (SHAC)
Restorative circles/practices are reactive, consisting of formal or informal responses to incidents after it
occurs. They foster safe learning environments through community building and constructive conflict resolution and can be seamlessly integrated into the classroom, curriculum and culture of schools.
 
 The C.A.T. Project
The C.A.T. Project is a small group program for adolescents with anxiety. It is cognitive-behavioral in
nature, and provides psychoeducation and requires exposure tasks. The program provides education about anxiety, skills for identifying and managing anxiety, and an approach to face one’s fears and develop mastery. The overall goal is emotional adjustment.
 
 Small Groups
Small groups will be varied and depend on the need of each individual school site. Small groups teach
teamwork ability, improves self-directed learning, enhances student-faculty and peer-peer interaction, develops self-motivation, allows the student to test their thinking, and helps with acceptance of personal responsibility for own progress.

 

      • Substance Abuse (OCI, ASPIRE, AND SAS)
      • Coping Skills 
      • Social Skills
      • Grief Group

 

▪ Community Resources/Referrals (Social Worker/Counselors)
Community resources/referrals is a systems approach to establish and integrate a network of Student Behavior and Supports between the school, family, and community. They can be in the areas of prevention, intervention, advocacy and treatment.
 
 
Tier III Interventions and Supports:
 
Tier III focuses on the individual behavior of the remaining 5-10% of students who are not responding to the Universal and Tier II Systems of Support. These students are experiencing a life crisis or have developed chronic problem behaviors. 
 
      • Case Management and Linkage
      1. Referring student to mental health services with Child Guidance or Private insurance and following up
      • Crisis Assessment and Intervention
      1. Conducting suicide assessments 
      2. Re-entry plan when student returns back to school from Mary K Shell or Bakersfield Behavioral Health Hospital (BBHH).
      • Direct Therapeutic Interventions with Tier 3 Students
      1. Provide/teach coping skills to help them in the classroom
      2. Facilitate small Tier 3 focused groups (for those needing more support after Tier 2 groups).
 
 

Resources for Students, Parents/Guardians, and Community

 

Kern Behavioral Health & Recovery Services

https://www.kernbhrs.org/

Access:  661-868-8080

Local Crisis Hotline:  1-800-991-5272

 

Kern County Department of Human Services - Resource Caregiver Family Guide to Services

https://www.kerncounty.com/dhs/pdf/caregiver_resource_guide.pdf

 

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

https://namica.org/

 

California Department of Education, Mental Health

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/cg/mh/index.asp

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/cg/mh/projectcalwell.asp

https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/mh/Pages/ProgramsforChildrenandYouth.aspx

 

Phone/Text:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:   1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Hotline:  Text HOME to 741741

Local Crisis Hotline:  868-8000 or 800-991-5272