New spring groups are beginning
Read below for descriptions of each spring counseling group. Please reach out to Dr. Kassoy (fkassoy@uaschools.org) if you'd like your child to participate or if you have any questions. We are excited to continue to provide support to meet the needs of all of our Wickliffe students.
Stepping Stones
The death of a loved one is a major loss in a child’s life. Although grief is a normal reaction to loss, children grieve differently than adults and may struggle with unfamiliar feelings and reactions.
Lauri Yersavich, a licensed grief counselor from OhioHealth who has been collaborating with Dr. Kassoy for many years, will facilitate this lunch group. Due to COVID, this program has not been offered the past two years. We are delighted to be able to offer this important lunch group again.
Through discussions, stories, and hands-on activities, the children will understand typical responses to grief and loss, learn healthy ways to express, navigate, and cope with their feelings and reactions, and have opportunities to share memories and honor the lives of their loved ones.
Dates: TBA
Supporting the Social-Emotional Needs of BIPOC Students
Embracing and celebrating one’s identity is an important part of a child’s social and emotional development.
Dr. Lauren Brown, Wickliffe’s school psychologist, and Julia Hargrove, a counseling intern from OSU working with Dr. Kassoy, will provide a welcoming and supportive space for BIPOC students. This Black women led lunch group will allow the children to explore cultural identity, healthy and inclusive communities, and develop skills to support their BIPOC experiences.
Dates: TBA
Moving On Up: Transitioning to middle school
It truly has been another whirlwind year for all of us! As we wrap up this school year and begin to prepare for the next, we want to make sure our 5th grade students have the tools they need to feel successful and confident entering into the middle school environment next year. Sarah Perry, our Syntero clinician, will be providing “Moving On Up: Skills to Survive Middle School” - transition to middle school group. Students will learn skills to decrease fears while increasing self-advocacy and autonomy. They will also learn ways to cope with transitioning to middle school. And because the past couple of years have been so unique due to Covid, there will also be opportunities to process any grief related to opportunities they may have had to miss in the 4th and 5th grade.
Dates: Mondays, 4/11 to 5/16 for a total of 6 weeks
Time: Before school, 7:45-8:15 a.m.(to accommodate for size of group)
The Calm Down Crew
Emotions can run high sometimes and we all have moments of frustration and anger. In this group, students will learn strategies for how to take charge of their big emotions rather than letting their big emotions control them. We will also be normalizing anger and helping students understand how they can figure out what their anger is trying to communicate to them and how to express this in healthy ways.
Dates: Group will be held during lunch time on Mondays, from 4/11 to 5/16, for a total of 6 weeks
ONGOING GROUPS (new children are ALWAYS welcome to join!)
Food for Thought will return next week!
We hope you had a restorative spring break.
Felice (and the rest of the counseling team)
