The Wellness Center Support Committee and PRAISE have jointly issued a grant totaling $18,750 to the PUSD Wellness Center. The grant will be used immediately to pay stipends to the trainees, interns and associates who work with PUSD students at the Wellness Center under the direction of Clinical Supervisor Dr. Alisa Crovetti and Amy Hazer, LCSW.
According to Dr. Crovetti, “Stipends are necessary for the Wellness Center to continue to attract staff from psychology, social work, and therapist graduate programs and to increase clinician retention, and are necessary for future accreditation by the American Psychological Association. The stipends are particularly vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the graduate students working for the Wellness Center are unable to earn income from their part-time jobs in the service industry.”
The PUSD Wellness Center remains open for online counseling, and provides confidential, free counseling services to all Piedmont High School, Millennium High School and Piedmont Middle School students, including providing IEP-based counseling services. The Wellness Center helps students manage common emotional and social challenges of middle and high school including stress, depression, grief, family or friendship conflicts, and substance use concerns.
Approximately one third of high school and one quarter of middle school students use services at the Wellness Center each year.
Wellness Center funding comes from a combination of grants, Piedmont Unified School District general fund contributions, and the Wellness Center Support Committee, a parent and community fundraising and advocacy group.
Now that the WCSC has finalized their 2019-20 school year grant, they have begun planning their annual fall fundraiser under the direction of event co-chairs Nicki Gilbert and KeriAnne Hohener. According to Ms. Gilbert, “Walk for Wellness 2020 will be an exciting, accessible event that promises to be fun for the whole family — more details and registration information will be available this summer.”
To support the Wellness Center, please visit www.piedmontwalkforwellness.com or email piedmontwalkforwellness@gmail.com.
PRAISE advocates for and supports students with special learning needs, and provides resources to parents and the educational community. The group also supports and advocates for parents of students in special education programs, fosters inclusion for students with learning differences, and promotes awareness and appreciation of different learning styles within the broader community. To support PRAISE, please visit piedmontpraise.org.