Harvey Green Elementary School, in Fremont California, is one of our oldest partnerships with Seneca. Constellation supports Harvey Green with a counseling enriched classroom (CEC). We currently have two schools we partner with the Fremont Unified District (FUSD). In this partnership, Constellation provides 2 mental health counselors and a classroom clinician, who works in collaboration with a district teacher. We have an amazing teacher, Dr. Samantha Davis, who we have been lucky to have for the past 5 years. Our team works to define individualized goals and strategies to address behaviors that are impacting the student’s ability to succeed in school and engage collaboratively with school staff and caregivers to develop a nurturing, structured setting to promote student success.

We have an amazing relationship with our principal Trisha Johnson who works very closely with our team and is always looking for ways to integrate our program to the whole school culture. Our CEC program at Harvey Green has been able to collaborate with more teachers in recent years than before. Constellation was able to help the school with donations to their Wellness Center and work closely with the school counselor.
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We are very fortunate to have a great space for our program that allows us to have welcoming spaces for our students and families. This year we saw an increase in our family counseling services which have made a great impact on our students’ progress. Our therapist has done a great job of making her office a fantasy creative place for our students to engage in therapeutic services. 

Blog By: Mariana Aranda, Assistant Director of School Partnerships

Position: Mental Health Counselor

What led you to your current position? I have been working with children and families for as long as I can remember. It all started with my previous working experience as a respite care provider in Santa Clara County. I have always enjoyed working with children and making a positive impact in their lives as little as the impact may be. As I gained further experience in this field of work, I wanted to do something more. That is when I found Seneca and I immediately knew this was for me.

What inspires you to do this work? There are many things that inspire me to continue this work. However, one of the important things that appeal the most to me is the progress our clients make and the wonderful relationships that we form with not only our client but their families as well. There is nothing more meaningful than making a difference in our community.  

What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? I've definitely learned the meaning of personal growth. Through my experience thus far, with Seneca I have found what's important to me both personally and professionally. I've just finished my bachelor's degree and will be starting my masters in Marriage and Family Therapy this upcoming fall.  

Share your life motto or something unique about yourself. Something that I always remind myself of is that it is important to make sure that we take care of ourselves before we care for others. 

Blog By: Linzy Gustafson, Director of Operations

Nestled in the heart of Castro Valley, California, Castro Valley High School (CVHS) is a vibrant educational community known for its dedication to academic excellence, diverse extracurricular programs, and strong sense of school spirit. Home to the Trojans, CVHS serves a student body of over 2,800 learners and prides itself on preparing students for success in college, career, and beyond. CVHS has been a cornerstone of the Castro Valley community since its establishment in 1956. The school offers a robust curriculum, including Advanced Placement (AP) courses and career technical education pathways. From championship sports teams to award-winning arts programs and over 50 student-led clubs, there’s something for everyone. CVHS emphasizes civic engagement, with many students participating in volunteer projects and leadership activities. But beyond academics and extracurriculars, Castro Valley High School is committed to the well-being of its students, offering comprehensive mental health resources to support their emotional and social needs.  

Recognizing the importance of mental health in student success, CVHS has invested in creating a supportive environment through its Wellness Center. This safe and welcoming space provides students with access to: 

• Counseling Services: On-site counselors are available to address stress, anxiety, and other challenges. 

• Peer Support: Student-led initiatives promote mental health awareness and peer connection. 

• Workshops and Activities: Regular events focus on mindfulness, self-care, and stress management. 

Throughout Castro Valley there has historically only been Seneca support at the Credit Recovery High School (Redwood High School) and for students been placed at Non-Public Schools (NPS) when they struggled at the High School level. This year a CEC (Counseling Enriched Classroom) was opened at the middle school level, and a new set of interventions were introduced at the High School. We are now providing outpatient therapeutic services and targeted interventions around truancy.  

At the campus we have Farwah Sadat, our amazing clinician who works closely with the School Psychologists to support counseling students who need more intensive support than their caseloads allow. Currently holding approximately 18 clients as well as providing family supports, this has allowed students to be served and remain on that campus that may have previously needed a different placement.  

In addition, we have Christine Dorigo, a previous Counselor and Milieu Supervisor who is now piloting Wellness Coach supports within the SpEd department. Through this work, Christine is working directly with students and their families to address truancy challenges. Within the first cycle of students we have seen that the students and families that are engaging are seeing momentous results. In a recent meeting the Vice Principal praised the results she saw in many of the students.  We are really enjoying our partnership with CVHS and look forward to many other opportunities in the future.  
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As Castro Valley High School continues to grow and innovate, its focus on mental health and wellness serves as a testament to its dedication to the success of every student. By blending academic rigor with emotional support, CVHS exemplifies what it means to prepare students for a bright future, both inside and outside the classroom, while creating resources to prevent students from being supported elsewhere.  

Blog By: Anthone Jackson, Director of School Partnerships

Position: school-based therapist 

What led you to your current position? I have always had the innate drive to help others and support with building confidence.

What inspires you to do this work? My inspiration comes from helping teens advocate and find their voices appropriately. I like to Build a positive therapeutic relationship which helps facilitate clients motivation with awareness and self expression. 

What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? A highlight in this role is working with the families. A lot of the work is unifying when guardians are wiling to participate in the sessions or services as well. 

Share your life motto or something unique about yourself. “It’s never too late”

​Over the past nine years, we’ve cultivated a meaningful partnership with Horace Mann Elementary in Oakland, CA, enabling us to support the school community through an on-site clinician providing school-based clinical services. Last year, we expanded our traditional outpatient clinical model—previously focused on individual and group therapy for students—to include a Student Support Assistant (SSA). The SSA provides behavioral and social-emotional push-in support on campus, working collaboratively with the clinician. This combined approach of individual therapy and in-class behavioral support has proven to be an effective and holistic strategy, earning positive feedback from school staff, students, and families.

This SSA role at Horace Mann is particularly unique in our program, as it bridges support during the school day and in the After School Program. During the day, the SSA offers push-in behavioral support, focusing on challenging transitions and helping students practice coping skills in real-time classroom settings. After school, the SSA facilitates social skills groups for students referred through the school’s Coordination of Services Team (COST). For example, the SSA has successfully led a 4th-grade girls' group centered on self-esteem and establishing healthy boundaries.

This year, the SSA has been provided with her own dedicated space on campus, which she has transformed into a bright, welcoming, and therapeutic environment that the kids love. In this space, she facilitates social skills groups twice a week, daily lunch bunches and provides individualized support to students, helping them de-escalate and practice their coping skills.
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Our Seneca team has also deepened its integration into the Horace Mann community over the years. We’ve been honored to participate in school events such as the Community Health Fair and Family Night, where we share mental and behavioral health resources with the school community and families. These opportunities have further strengthened our connection to Horace Mann and reinforced our commitment to providing comprehensive, student-centered support.

Blog By: Tiana Dudley, Director of School Partnerships

​Having intentional check-ins in meeting spaces is often an overlooked method of fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging. A well thought out check-in allows participants to feel heard, valued, and supported, ultimately increasing engagement and productivity. When approached through the lens of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), these check-ins can be used as a tool for ensuring that diverse voices are acknowledged and respected within any space. DEI refers to the practices and policies that promote the fair treatment of individuals regardless of their various markers of identity that may be subject to systemic inequality such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability. Creating a check-in process that actively incorporates DEI principles supports with identifying and addressing potential barriers to full participation, empowering individuals to contribute authentically in meeting spaces.
Some examples of DEI check-in questions are as follows:

• How do you define inclusion? What does it mean to you in a workplace scenario?
• What do you do to continue learning and educating yourself?
• Do you feel confident that you are able to raise your opinions at work?
• What do you feel is important for others to know about your cultural background?
• Do you feel your unique strengths are recognized and utilized within your role? Why or why not?

A DEI-driven check-in can ensure that everyone within a space has equal opportunity to share their own thoughts, experiences, and perspectives. For example, check-ins that ask participants to reflect on their personal experiences with inclusivity or to share anything they need to feel supported can bring deeper insight into how individuals are feeling and what they might need to fully engage in the space. These intentional check-ins not only highlight the importance of diversity to everyone participating but foster a more inclusive environment where everyone feels empowered to participate. Incorporating DEI principles into check-ins is a practice many meeting spaces within the behavior strand have adopted, which has ultimately lead to more meaningful and productive conversations.

Blog By: Justin Vizinau, Behavior Supervisor

​Going into our 2nd year of partnership with Castlemont Elementary School we started off this year with a ‘Back to School Retreat Day’ for our Counseling Enriched Classroom (CEC) program consisting of our Seneca staff team (therapist, student support assistants, supervisors) along with school district staff. This was a way for us to come together to celebrate our successes and progress over the past year as well as acknowledge the challenges and areas of growth to strengthen our communication, understanding and collaboration with one another. Providing safe, inclusive, and fun learning spaces for our students means also continually bringing intentionality in creating this environment for the adults who work together on this team. We started the day with a mindfulness grounding exercise led by our Seneca school based therapist and then engaged in a powerful icebreaker ‘Just By Looking at Me’ where each of us took turns to share the vulnerable aspects of ourselves others may not know or see from the outside, helping to build empathy and  understanding with one another. As always, in the beginning of the school year, we felt it was also important to ground ourselves in the Unconditional Education (UE) model to remember our purpose, values and mission in supporting the students. We then reviewed over CASEL 5 SEL (social-emotional learning) core competencies and each picked one we felt aligned with to focus on intentionally this year for team. From this, we created community agreements to hold in all our spaces with one another and reflected on our overall Team Journey of Life, identifying the successes and obstacles we have overcome as well as the ongoing dynamics and challenges we will face on the horizon. One of the intentions behind this particular activity as outlined beautifully by the authors (McParland et al., 2022) of the article ‘Narrative therapy approaches to team away days: creating communities’ is ‘to give space to acknowledge that the journey has not always been smooth, whilst also providing hope and a pathway for the future’. Each of us have unique qualities and skills we bring and it is important to remember especially in times of tension/stress how we are stronger together with our different ideas and perspectives, shifting narratives we may hold about ourselves or others and to connect, transform and strengthen our team identity. 

Blog By: Jennifer Lin, Clinical Supervisor

Position: Student Support Assistant

What led you to your current position? As a recent graduate who has spent much of my college years working with kids and youth, I knew I wanted to continue supporting and guiding young people through their developmental journeys. This position offers the perfect opportunity to help students recognize their potential and bring out the best in themselves.

What inspires you to do this work? The perseverance, strength, and growth my students show every day, despite their challenges, inspire me. Their resilience is a constant reminder of how rewarding this work truly is, and it keeps me motivated to be a positive influence in their lives.

What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in this role or an important lesson you've learned? Every day brings new challenges, victories, and opportunities for growth. I’m fortunate to witness my students' evolution, especially in their ability to reflect on their feelings and understand why they feel a certain way. Most importantly, seeing my students embrace self-awareness has encouraged me to prioritize my own self-care. This role has taught me that while the work can be demanding, I need to show up for myself just as much as I show up for my students. By taking it day by day and moving with intention, I’ve learned the value of balance in work.
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Share your life motto or something unique about yourself. Focus on progress and growth rather than perfection. The results might not always be linear, but by acknowledging and celebrating the small victories along the way, I can see the bigger picture.