September 2009
Dear Parents:
The Scarsdale Community Youth Service Project is a partnership of Scarsdale Schools, Scarsdale Village, and Scarsdale & Edgemont Family Counseling Service. The project places a team of mental health professionals in the community as a resource for adolescents and their parents.
Youth Outreach Workers provide a range of services including individual and group counseling, family assessments, crisis intervention and referral services. Youth Outreach Workers collaborate routinely with parents, school administrators, High School Deans, Police, and village officials.
This year the team of Youth Outreach Workers on the High School level consists of
Lauren Pomerantz, LMSW and Terry Frank, LCSW. Terry will be joining the Youth Service Project this September and is looking forward to her new position. Most recently Terry was the school social worker at Blind Brook USFD. For over eight years, she worked with students, parents, staff and the community. Terry has developed and facilitated numerous programs that foster healthy decision-making. Both Lauren and Terry will provide individual on-site counseling and groups for students. This provides a comfortable environment for teenagers to discuss issues such as drug/alcohol use, peer pressure, coping skills, self image, and relationship issues. Youth outreach also maintains an office at SFCS in the Harwood Building.
The Youth Service Project on the high school level also offers a variety of resources which stress the importance of connection between teens and their families, their schools, and the community. One program is
Peer Counseling. Peer Counselors are high school students who provide “purposeful friendship” to new students and those who have difficulty connecting. Peer Counselors also host a “Welcome BBQ” for the 9th graders and work with Middle School students on issues like bullying, internet safety, and friendship. It is with great excitement that this year Peer Counselors will work with small groups of ninth graders in the winter about positive decision making and social challenges.
Another after-school resource is the
Women in Leadership program. WIL is a group for young women 14-18 years of age. The program helps participants develop leadership skills in today’s society through shared cultural, social, and verbal expressions. WIL meets weekly at Scarsdale High School and is facilitated by Lauren Pomerantz. The group will be expanding to separate girls into two groups based on grade. For more information please contact Lauren at 721-2468.
Parent Support Groups are a unique resource offered to the parents of Scarsdale and is continually growing. Parent Support Groups meet monthly providing parents an opportunity to establish an atmosphere and structure where they can help one another deal with the challenges of adolescence. Parents ask questions about the development of their teenagers and find answers to problems without precedent. For information about how to join a Parent Support Group, please contact our Parent Support Group Coordinator, Emily Vallario at 721-2642.
Both Lauren and Terry maintain offices in the High School and at SFCS. We are available before, during, and after school.
All Youth Service Project counseling services are confidential. Please feel free to contact us at any time during the year with questions, comments, or concerns. Lauren can be reached at 721-2468 and Terry at 721-2675.
In addition, SFCS offers individual, family, and couple therapy, social skills groups for children, and older adult services. For more information, please contact the offices of SFCS at 723-3281. If you DO NOT want your son or daughter to participate in the services offered through the Youth Service Project, please sign and tear off below and return to SFCS. However, there may be occasions when a Youth Outreach Worker needs to reach out to students and we will follow appropriate guidelines for keeping you informed.
We look forward to working with you and your teenager. We welcome you to the new school year and hope it is filled with positive experiences for you and your teen.
Kind Regards,
Lauren Pomerantz, LMSW Terry Frank, LCSW
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I DO NOT wish for my son/daughter to participate in the services offered through the Youth Services Project.
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Child’s Name
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Parent’s Name
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Grade
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Date