By Mary O’KEEFE

Glendale Unified School District is reaching out to parents and students to find out how the district can best support its school families.

The district’s Student Wellness Dept. has designated one school counselor to support foster youth and students experiencing homelessness, and seven therapists and 34 mental health interns to serve throughout all GUSD schools.

“We know all schools are different and have different needs,” said Dr. Ilin Magran, director of Student Wellness Services Dept.

The department is offering students and their families individual counseling sessions that will address emotional struggles and problems, modify self-defeating patterns of behavior and promote positive coping skills.

In group counseling sessions, the district provides insight into a number of areas including social skills, conflict resolution, self-esteem, mindfulness, grief and loss, and anger management. It will be looking into other areas as well, such as identifying students with unexcused absences.  It will reach out with support then follow up with students and parents coping with attendance issues.

Magran has reached out to individual schools within the district, including principals and PTA/Foundations, to see how a support program could be best created for and used by their school families.

She is asking any member/parent/student/guardian within GUSD to contact their school’s PTA/PTSA and/or the school’s principal to let them know what they would like to have as part of their program. Many schools, like Mountain Avenue and Edison elementary schools, as well as Hoover and Crescenta Valley high schools, have already reached out to Magran with ideas of what they need.

Parents/students can also contact Magran directly by emailing her at imagran@gusd.net or contacting her at (818) 241-3111 ext. 1500.

  Mary Okeefe