Mental Health Services

Our licensed clinical social worker provides child and adolescent counseling, crisis intervention, conflict mediation, case management and crisis referral. Counseling services are available to students in the K.W.A.M. program and their family members.

Play Therapy Room

The UDC opened a play therapy room in Summer 2004 with the help of our licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). The LCSW uses the play therapy room to counsel students in the Kids With a Mission (K.W.A.M.) after school program, grades K – 6 and in the Summer Academy.

It is well documented that children in the early stages of development need to be kept busy and engaged to process with a therapist. The play therapy room offers an environment where the student can choose from a large variety of activities in which they want to be involved. This aspect is very empowering. Students typically enter the room and start playing immediately, which immensely expedites the therapeutic process. Through this interaction, meaningful dialogue is virtually automatic. Also, it offers a great opportunity to observe body language, problem solving skills, processing capabilities, formation of imaginary processes, social and family dynamics, learned behaviors, as well as offers an endless canvas to assess, evaluate, and implement interventions. The ergonomics of this room allow for a positive emotional environment that invokes pleasant “play” memories.

The outcomes of the play therapy sessions have been phenomenal according to the LCSW. “The most impacting part of using play in this fashion is that clients leave the session smiling and in a positive emotional place even when covering distressing subjects. In a normal session one would work toward getting the client to a good place, however, with this type of intervention it just happens naturally.”