School-based mental health services
Information for parents
At South Oaks Hospital, we offer school-based mental health consultation services for students from kindergarten through high school. We provide board-certified (or board-eligible) psychiatrists on-site in your child’s school district or through virtual visits. Psychiatrist services may consist of psychiatric evaluations, student observations, clinical care conferences, medication consultations and recommendations for care (in the school setting and/or the community).
For students in need, our team will support you in connecting your child to the appropriate mental health services, which may include an outpatient or partial hospitalization setting. Our team of experts will assist you in navigating health insurance, identifying the appropriate programs for the child, establishing appointments (when possible) and will provide mental health resources to guide next steps in seeking care.
All services are coordinated in partnership with school clinicians and/or administrators. Parents and caregivers seeking support are encouraged to discuss their child’s needs with the appropriate school personnel to determine if consultation services would be of benefit.
Information for administrators
Our school-based mental health services are offered via an annual service agreement with the partnered school district. Through this agreement, board-certified (or board-eligible) child & adolescent psychiatrists perform services on-site or through telehealth, at a routine interval (e.g., weekly, biweekly). Formal evaluation reports with recommendations are promptly returned to the school clinician/administrator.
For students requiring support outside of what the school district can provide, the Northwell team will assist the parent in obtaining a connection at the psychiatrist’s direction. Similarly, school clinicians may request care coordination support for students determined to not require a direct interaction with the psychiatrist, providing an added layer of support available to assist your team.
If a student is in crisis, we’re here to provide real-time guidance to assist the school team. Our clinicians will evaluate the circumstance and provide recommendations to best assist the student. When indicated, discrete Northwell ambulance services are coordinated by our team and warm handoff provided to the receiving facility to better facilitate a potential admission.
Additional services include facilitation of a robust professional development and community education program. Topics are curated to meet the evolving needs of your school district and sessions are led by mental health experts within Northwell Health.
Northwell’s school-based services, which include this program and Cohen Children's Medical Center’s behavioral health center collaborative, support more than 50 school districts and over 200,000 students.
Awards & recognitions
- 2020 Northwell Health President’s Award finalist – Teamwork Award Category
- 2020 New York State/Office of Mental Health What’s Great in Our State award winner – School District Category with Plainedge District
- 2020 Katz Institute for Women’s Health Community Innovation grant recipient to provide “Forums to Mothers of School-Aged Students”
- 2022 Psychiatrist Northwell Health/Physician Partners Truly Award finalist for Physician of the Year, Dr. Julie Cyriac