The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

BEAUMONT, Texas — Spindletop Center has partnered with the Port Arthur Independent School District, and Little Cypress and Mauriceville Elementary Schools for Life Skills Groups and individual counseling sessions.

The partnership stems from an American Red Cross grant received by the schools to provide mental health services for students who are potentially experiencing trauma after Hurricane Harvey.

The Meadows Foundation helped coordinate school districts with local mental health providers to provide these trauma-related services.

"We worked with Port Arthur, Little Cypress and Mauriceville, and the schools expressed there were needs,” said Amber Woods, director of Intake and Crisis at Spindletop Center. “Trauma is a part of every day life, but the daily struggles for some of our youth exceed the wake of Harvey or of a natural disaster. Poverty, abuse, neglect, anger and the general lack of community resources and knowledge are ongoing issues that pose tremendous barriers for our youth.

“The schools essentially asked what can we do for their students. Our team was responsible for explaining what resources we have available and what we can do for them.”

The Center developed a Life Skills Group, which teaches the students active listening, emotional regulation, anger management, coping and mindfulness skills. These group sessions are given to elementary, junior high and high school students.

Another Life Skills Group was developed for elementary school students to educate them on how to get along with others, how to control emotions and other life skills.

Individual counseling is provided to students at the Ninth Grade Center and Woodrow Wilson Alternative High School.

“A large majority of the students enjoy these sessions and want to be heard,” Woods said. “It’s a safe space for them to express themselves. A large percentage of students struggle with regulating emotions, one of which is anger.

“This partnership allows for exposure and the opportunity for students to learn life skills and for us to work collaboratively with schools to provide mental health education.”

For more information about the partnership, contact Woods at [email protected] or 409.839.2248.