East Bay Agency for Children’s Post

East Bay Agency for Children School-Based Behavioral Health Program Thanks to East Bay Agency for Children, each year over 1,000 children in 40 Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, San Lorenzo, Newark and San Leandro public schools receive vital mental health support. Children can act out or become withdrawn as a result of emotional triggers they don’t understand and can’t control. Often these behaviors result from adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, the loss of a loved one, or the stress of living in poverty or in neighborhoods or homes impacted by violence. These resulting emotional and behavioral challenges can interfere with a child’s own socio-emotional and academic development and can be disruptive to an entire classroom. EBAC behavioral health therapists who work on-site at schools counsel children from mainstream classrooms who have been referred by their teachers, principals, parents, and themselves because they are struggling with issues such as anxiety, depression, or aggression. Through art, play, and other therapeutic tools, EBAC’s clinicians help these children develop ways to self-regulate their emotions and behaviors. These behavioral health clinicians have a therapy room on the school campus and conduct individual, group, and family therapy as needed to address the specific needs outlined in each child’s formal treatment plan. Additionally, clinicians work with teachers and administrators to create trauma-informed school environments and support a positive school climate. #socialwork #traumainformed #mentalhealth