The Scott Lane Teen Counseling Project
The Scott Lane Teen Counseling Project is dedicated to maintaining healthy environments in each of the three West Sonoma County High Schools: Analy, El Molino, and Laguna.
A Leadership Committee composed of parents, educators, therapists, and business representatives from the community works to identify needs of the students and the best ways to address those needs.
An ongoing goal of the Scott Lane Teen Counseling Project is to ensure the presence of a fulltime outreach therapist at each of the school campuses. The therapist works with students needing help with depression, alcohol and substance abuse, relationships, suicidal tendencies, isolation, eating disorders, test anxiety, and other related teen issues. The presence of the therapist, along with the high school guidance staff, helps to create a positive and encouraging environment conducive to learning.
Another goal of the project is to identify mental health trends on campus and initiate or support programs to address the mental health needs of each student body.
The Need
As many as one in four west county high school students contends with severe emotional and psychological issues that require therapeutic intervention.
Academic counselors are often the first point of contact for students with problems. However, with their high caseloads, they have little time to adequately help students with serious personal problems.
Left untreated, these problems can quickly escalate into anxiety, depression, isolation and disruptive disciplinary disturbances.
Troubled students who do not receive help often drop out of school. Deficient in education and prone to instability, they then take their problems into the larger community.
Our Project Supports
- Therapeutic counselors who provide one-to-one counseling for students coping with psychological and emotional issues.
- An MFT intern at Analy High School to help develop new support groups and counseling services for students.
- Safe School Ambassadors on all three campuses. This program selects and trains students who intervene with their peers to prevent and stop acts of cruelty and reduce tension on campus.
- Speakers Series for 9th grade at Analy, El Molino and Laguna High Schools to address risky teen behaviors.
- Substance and alcohol diversion program for referred students providing education and preventative support.
In Honor of Scott Lane
As the late principal of Laguna Continuation High School, Scott Lane was a passionate advocate of the Teen Counseling Project. After his death in January of 2003, the Teen Counseling Project was renamed in his honor. In this way, the Teen Counseling Project recognizes his unique contribution to the teens of Sonoma County and continues his commitment and caring.
Join us in our fundraising and advocacy work by contacting Julie Smith at 829-1250 or Nancy Dougherty at 829-3761.