Since 2006, Counseling in Schools has been operating as a partnership with MS 301, a school community in the Bronx, to support resiliency building skills in students. MS 301 is located in an impoverished area of the city where 90% of the families live below the poverty line, one-third of the students have spent some time in Transitional Housing, and one out of 10 students has been in foster care for three or more years. In short, MS 301 is a school in sore need of the programs sponsored by Counseling in Schools, particularly the School Violence Prevention Program-and specifically the new Anti Bullying Program.
CSNN’s School Violence Prevention program has been successful. ln February 2010, for example, an MS301 counseling program transformed the psycho-social skills of several young girls. One, a “sad and angry” bullying victim, an African immigrant , (see sidebar above) was able to form new social relationships by joining a CSNN-sponsored lunch group.. as has their school performance.
CSNN plans to continue its School Violence Prevention Activities program, through 2013. This program will continue to include individual, group counseling, family counseling, family workshops and a new effort, anti-bullying groups adapted from Overcoming Obstacles’ Life Skills Program: Anti-Bullying Handbook®.
The new Anti-Bullying Groups The Anti-Bullying Groups will complement CSNN’s basic programs; On-Site Individual, Group, or Family Counseling, and Family Workshops. The Anti=-Bullying Groups will give students an opportunity to explore their interpersonal relationships, strengthen their feeling of community support, and understand the devastating impact bullying may have on classmates and the school environment. Teachers will learn how this curriculum could be implemented in their classroom and how to facilitate the discussion as sensitive information is revealed. Upon completion, schools will receive a full set of the printed materials for future use.
