Counseling services to expand

Beginning with the new school year, a program that provides

therapeutic counseling services to the Burbank Unified School

District’s middle schools will expand to include the district’s high

schools.

The Family Service Agency of Burbank, a nonprofit counseling

center that has operated in Burbank for more than 50 years, will

expand its services based on input from district high school and

middle school students at a youth summit in 2001.

“They really let their hair down about things they were concerned

about, things they’d like to see happen,” said Hank Jannace, the

district’s director of pupil services. “The major thing that came out

was a need for more counseling services, one-on-one and even group

counseling.”

According to the goals and objectives of the program, the

counseling sessions will address topics like depression, anger

management, conflict resolution, problem-solving skills, racial

acceptance, respect for authority, and stress reduction.

“We’re about meeting needs of students,” said Anita Schackmann,

the principal of Luther Burbank Middle School. “Some students need a

different level of intervention. In order to be successful students,

they need help sorting out difficulties that they’re facing.”

The Board of Education voted Thursday for the expanded service to

Burbank and Burroughs high schools, for which the city of Burbank has

set aside $125,000, according to a board report.

“The program has met its goals and more,” said Laurie Bleick,

executive director of Family Service Agency of Burbank. “We’ll focus

on the freshman class, with the transitioning of kids into the high

school environment.”

Bleick said the program will continue to track the progress of

middle school students who have already participated in the program.

“It’s the natural progression of a program that’s working well,”

she said. “The school has been gracious and welcoming and the parents

are happy.”

The counseling program began in the second semester of 2004 at

John Muir, Jordan and Luther Burbank middle schools and serviced

about 20 students from each school.

In the program, students are usually recommended by counselors or

their school’s psychologist for group or one-on-one counseling

sessions with agency counselors. Sessions take place with the

permission of the students’ parents.