Mental Health Counseling Interns Thank MVSD

Mental Health Counseling Interns Thank MVSD

     In a virtual meeting, a cohort of Mental Health Interns expressed their appreciation to the Mountain View School District (MVSD) for their intern experience being mentored by MVSD’s School Counselors, administrators and staff and working with students. 

       The group of interns from the USC School of Social Work Field Education program provided support to students and families at all 12 MVSD schools during the school year and have continued offering support during the physical school closures.  Recently, the group came together in a virtual meeting with their Licensed Clinical Supervisors from USC and MVSD staff to express their appreciation to the District and schools.   

     Ricardo Mercado, a mental health intern who served at Kranz Intermediate School thanked the staff at Kranz for making him feel part of the Kranz family.

     “I am glad to have spent the last year of graduate school working under the leadership and guidance of Kranz’s administrators, Mr. Herrera and Mr. Smith and working with Ms. Martinez the school counselor.  They are awesome leaders and great student advocates and I learned a great deal from them.  Their compassion for the students at Kranz is greatly reflected in the atmosphere of the school,” said Mercado.

     MVSD is committed to educating the whole child, and the interns supported schools by working with students on social-emotional learning encompassing problem solving, conflict resolution, academic success, social skills, relationship building, anger management, anxiety and self-control.  Additionally, they provided mental health services, offered resources on well-being, and guidance on attendance, as well as providing essential resources to families.
     "We were extremely fortunate to have the interns at our schools to help support our students and ensure that they have everything they need to thrive and be successful in school," said George Schonborn, MVSD’s Director Pupil Personnel Services.  "Our partnership with USC's School of Social Work provides a great benefit to our schools, students and families."  

       Leading the Field Education Program at USC and overseeing the interns are professors/licensed clinical supervisors, Maria, Hu, Umeka Franklin and Rosamaria Alamo.

       “Our interns did an incredible job this school year and unfortunately the COVID pandemic and physical school closures didn’t allow them to say goodbye to the students and school staff members so we wanted to provide a format for them express their appreciation,” said Hu.  “Additionally, they have rolled up their sleeves, collaborating from a distance, to create curriculum in the area of suicide prevention for elementary grades, social emotional learning and self –care that we wanted to share with the District.”

        While the interns are grateful for their time in MVSD, school counselors and administrators expressed their appreciation to the group for their contributions to the well-being of students.

      “Through the interns our students were able to build additional trusting relationships with adults on campus,” said Dr. Edgar Cartagena, Madrid Middle School Counselor.  “The students knew the interns were someone who would listen to them and care for them and many students became very close to the interns which speaks volumes for the type of trusting relationships they built.”

       Monte Vista School principal, Glenda Giron, thanked the interns for the quality work they provided and the heart they brought to their services and wished them all luck with their future endeavors.

       The hard-working interns couldn’t thank MVSD enough for their field work experience and they all expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the impactful learning and wonderful memories made during their time in Mt. View. 

      Intern Alisha Young summed it up well:  “While I initially came to enrich the lives of the students we serve, I leave with my own life being enriched beyond measure.  Thank you for the incredible opportunity.”

 

                                                                            

 

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