Destigmatizing therapy for students

Kelly Davenport, CEO and Network Founder at Freire Schools, delves into destigmatizing therapy for students. When children are dealing with trauma, emotional, and mental issues, the academics will inevitably suffer. Freire Schools takes a unique approach to education, aiming to educate the whole child by offering therapy services for students and families. Today, Kelly discusses how we can destigmatize therapy for students.
About the speaker

Kelly Davenport

Freire Schools

- Freire Schools

Kelly Davenport is CEO and Network Founder at Freire Schools

Show Notes

  • 00:46
    Destigmatizing therapy for children
    Despite a lingering stigma, therapy is increasingly being recognized as a valuable resource for childrens mental health. Its essentially a guided conversation with a professional, and children are the most influential in encouraging other kids to take advantage of therapy.
  • 01:40
    Emotionally supporting students and families
    Freire Schools prioritize the emotional well-being of students and their families, providing affordable therapy services within the school system. Through partnerships with local universities, family therapists in training offer one-on-one therapy to students and their families.
  • 03:44
    Freires therapy program and university partnerships
    Alphonse Pignataro, a Co-Founder and certified family therapist, established partnerships with universities. Using a hierarchical system, family therapists in training administer therapy to students and are supervised by certified family therapists.
  • 05:17
    Confidentiality and safeguarding student privacy
    While there are cases, such as legal situations, where access is requested to students therapy notes, Freire generally denies this access. This approach is taken to build trust and maintain a confidential, safe space for students, protecting what theyve shared.
  • 06:48
    Addressing community issues through group therapy
    When gender and sexuality are addressed in group therapy, sessions more commonly tackle adverse childhood experiences like parental incarceration, drug abuse, etc. These are the prevalent issues in their community in Philadelphia, more so than gender and sexuality.
  • 08:29
    Fostering resilience through therapy
    27% of students at Freire Schools have experienced four or more adverse childhood experiences by ninth grade. However, through both group and individual therapy, Freire has been able to help their kids build resilience.
  • 09:21
    Widespread student participation in therapy
    About 28% of Freires students have experience adverse childhood experiences before high school. But approximately 30% of students are getting support from one of Freires therapists on any given day.
  • 10:07
    Making therapy accessible for all students
    Therapy sessions are offered throughout the school day, during lunch periods, after school, and offsite to accommodate student preferences and privacy concerns. The schools physical design includes small meeting rooms to provide dedicated therapy spaces.
  • 11:50
    Prioritizing childrens emotional well being in schools
    As a parents, its crucial to ensure that your childs school fosters an environment where its safe to discuss both academic and social-emotional needs openly. Look for schools that prioritize holistic well-being and provide support for students facing emotional challenges.
  • 14:19
    Indicators of an emotionally supportive school environment
    When school leaders are comfortable identifying their shortcoming or areas for improvement within the school, these are strong indicators. Ultimately, these are signals that students can also be honest about the issues they are facing in their own lives.

Quotes

  • "Kids are the best salespeople to other kids to go get therapy." - Kelly Davenport

  • "We want to educate the whole child, addressing academic and emotional needs." - Kelly Davenport

  • "27% of our kids have experienced four or more adverse childhood experiences in their lives when they get to us in 9th grade. Both group and individual therapy have been beneficial in helping our kids build resilience." - Kelly Davenport

  • "Its important that schools are places where we can discuss the ugly, painful, hard, scary, not just the academic. As a parent, I'd want to make sure that my kids were in a school that felt real and whole that way." - Kelly Davenport

About the speaker

Kelly Davenport

Freire Schools

- Freire Schools

Kelly Davenport is CEO and Network Founder at Freire Schools

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