Resiliency Consultation Program

The Resiliency Consultation Program offers a unique and powerful approach to building social and emotional wellness within school communities.

We provide ongoing, on-site consultation and training to educators in under-resourced schools throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.  Our consultants work closely with teachers, administrators, and support staff, and often become an integral part of the school itself. 

Through building the capacity of educators to understand and respond to the social and emotional needs of students, our consultants are able to affect the experiences and lives of all the students in a school.

Educators strive to provide the best academic environment to their students while faced with many external challenges, including high-stakes testing, mandated curriculum, and severe budget cuts.  Now more than ever, students are entering the classroom struggling with difficult life circumstances, and their resulting behavior can throw even the most seasoned teacher or administrator off his or her game.  In conversations and trainings with educators, CEC’s Resiliency Consultants skillfully bring powerful theories of youth development into the everyday practices of educators.   Through modeling, coaching, practical feedback, reflective questioning, and information-sharing, consultants make research-supported concepts accessible to educators. 

Pointing out moments of connection, offering a different perspective on a challenging student, providing the words that give a teacher the needed confidence to broach an uncomfortable topic with his class – these are examples of the nuts and bolts of building strong relationships and resiliency in  schools. Through building and strengthening these relationships, we have a positive impact on the student’s view of him/herself - both as a learner as well as a contributing member of our greater society.
Our approach is individualized to the specific school context and the educator’s needs, yet our theoretical framework and beliefs are always at the heart of what we do, keeping our message consistent.  The work that we do is not a separate piece of curriculum, but more a thread that can be woven throughout quality educator practices.

Counseling Component
In all of the schools we serve, our consultants work with school support staff and existing school counselors to increase effective collaboration between mental health providers and educators.  Additionally, in some of our schools, our trained and supervised counseling interns provide direct individual and group counseling to students in need of added support in the school setting. 

Our innovative model for delivering school mental health services allows us to explore the added  benefits of addressing student social and emotional well-being through the coordinated efforts of the counselor (providing student support) and the consultant (providing educator support). 

Schools Currently Served

Mountain View - Whisman School District
    Crittenden Middle School

Redwood City School District
    Kennedy Middle School
    Horace Hawes Elementary School
    Selby Lane School

The Beechwood School - East Menlo Park