By Andrea Centerrino, MSW, LICSW, QCSW

The Day Begins

Before the first bell rings, a student walks into the school social worker’s office to report that the police were at his house last night to raid his apartment for possible drugs. No drugs were found, but the stress of the incident means today will be a rough day for this student. His homework did not get done, and his emotions are on edge. The social worker processes the incident with the student and helps him come up with a plan to cope with the day.

Positive Interventions

During first period, a teacher stops in to say that one of her students wrote a paper with a suicidal theme. The social worker meets with the student and talks with their parents. They decide to refer the student for further evaluation. This collaboration and response may very well have saved the student’s life.

Then a student who stormed out of class comes into the social workers office feeling very angry.  After helping the student to calm down, and consulting with the classroom teacher and administrators, the social worker walks the student back to class.

Later, a sophomore comes into the office in tears, saying she just broke up with her boyfriend. After a conversation with the social worker, the girl feels better and returns to class.

Supporting a Student with an Emotional Disability

At midday, the school social worker attends a meeting for a student with an emotional disability. The parent needs help addressing their child’s issues. The social worker meets with the parent for almost an hour and then follows up with referrals to some community agencies that can help.

The social worker then meets with a regularly scheduled appointment with a student who needs child care in order to stay in school. Further discussion reveals that the student also needs health insurance for herself and her child, as well as possible housing.

The student makes calls from the school social worker’s office to request insurance eligibility forms, and to call community resources to find out about housing availability. The social worker encourages the student to advocate for herself as much as possible, and sits with her to help. The student schedules an appointment for the next day to follow up.

And so it goes…

Success in school extends beyond the classroom. So the school social worker looks at the big picture, understands the obstacles, and assists students with many aspects of their lives.

The day continues with phone calls to various agencies and community resources. The final bell of the day rings; it has been an action packed day. The social worker makes a tentative schedule for tomorrow, but who knows what the day will actually bring!