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​Please scroll down to read our Unconditional Education blog posts.

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OUR UE MODEL AND SERVICES

STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Shakera Buchanan

12/19/2022

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 Name: Shakera Buchanan
 Position: Clinical Intervention Specialist
 What led you to your current position: I don’t feel as though I was led to this position, it was   more like a calling. Growing up as a system impacted youth, I experienced and witnessed   many flaws, wrongdoings and downright injustices towards youth that were impacted with     mental health symptoms. Oftentimes, the treatment and care that was provided was   insensitive, uncaring, and mundane. As I navigated my way through these systems, with the   support of providers that really showed up for me, I was able to beat all odds and statistics   that were “predestined” for me. I know firsthand how having access to quality mental health services, genuine care, and commitment, children and youth life trajectories can be altered. So here I am, doing the work!
What inspires you to do this work: The resilience of the community that I serve. The resiliency in the children and families that I am privileged to work with. They have taught me so much about this work, far greater than I could have learned in any graduate program. My kiddos are amazing!
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role: This is my fourth year at my school site, and several students have been on my caseload for most of that time. Therapeutic rapport and trust have been solidified in relationship with these kiddos and their caregivers and as result, I have been able to really get to the heart of issues that brought them to services. I have so many rich, hearty and “aha” moments during sessions this school year. Without the prior work and time of building and strengthening trust in the relationship, these moments would not have occurred. Never underestimate the power of the therapeutic relationship.
Share your life motto or something unique about yourself: This too shall pass! No matter how grim the circumstances may look, as long as there is breath in the body and a willingness to change, hope is possible and obtainable. 

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SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Elmhurst Middle School

12/19/2022

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Our clinicians at Elmhurst are taking a truly collaborative approach to providing services to students and families and we love to see it! Lilly Conboy and Adriana Camacho are teaming up to provide more holistic and equitable therapeutic services for a student and his family in a way that feels unique and supportive. Lilly started providing clinical services at Elmhurst United Middle School in Oakland, California in January 2022 where she began building her caseload of students in need of individual therapy. She began working with one particular middle schooler who had a variety of emotional and physical health needs. While she was able to build a connection with him, she struggled to establish clear and effective communication with his family as there was a language barrier. The family expressed a desire to work with a Spanish-speaking clinician if possible. Utilizing the support of translation services in order to collaborate with and support our families is a reality that many clinicians have to navigate.  
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When Adriana arrived at Elmhurst this past October as a second clinician on site, she was eager to support the students and families in this community. Adriana found that sharing a cultural connection with a family (both Adriana and this family identify as Mexican-American) can have a great therapeutic impact that goes beyond a common language and communication. Lilly and Adriana discovered an opportunity to collaborate around what this particular family was asking for to best meet their needs. Here was a family that really wanted to work with a Spanish-speaking clinician and a client (a middle schooler) in a different developmental state in which he was trying to become more independent and requesting his own therapist separate from the family therapist. How exciting that we were able to meet both the family’s needs and honor the client’s request to continue with his therapist that he had been building a good therapeutic relationship with! Lifting and integrating student and family voice is a big part of our program’s goal, and this collaborative therapeutic approach is aligned with that!  Working to build a truly collaborative and holistic team of providers, Lilly and Adriana also partner with the medical center on campus to support this youth and family. We are so excited to see the wonderful work Lilly and Adriana are doing to jointly hold this client and family in a way that feels equitable and supportive!

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Blog Post Written By: Tiana Dudley, Director of School Partnerships ​
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Practicing Radical Self-Care During the Busy Season

12/12/2022

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“The tree is only as healthy as the root.” - @decolonizingtherapy

As we step into December, we get ready to end the Gregorian New Year, wrap up work with our clients and their families, and prepare for the holidays.  We keep in mind ways to hold our clients and their families through the winter break.  We often put ourselves on the back burner as we tend to others.  We play multiple roles in our families (chosen or biological and sometimes both). We are the nurturers. We are the “listening ear.” We are the ones who hold compassion. We are the “understanding ones.” We are the givers.  We can be challenged to give to ourselves what we generously offer to others – compassion, love, kindness and grace.
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In Audre Lorde’s collection of essays, “A Burst of Light,” she reclaims self-care as self-preservation and “an act of political warfare.”  She invites us to tend to our hearts and soul – as means to heal.  That is the essence of radical self-care. Inviting us to say “no” and re-prioritizing ourselves, which is crucial in order to continue doing our work.  We’ve all been bombarded with “self-care activities” such as getting our “me time.”  While that is a start, we must step further into the act of radical self-care in order to heal ourselves, those who were unable to heal in past generations and our seeds, so they carry a little less than we do in this lifetime.  For example, for many first generation folx like myself, we tend to over-work and often hear family members telling us “Not be lazy” and not to take time off when we are really “not that sick.”  Value is placed on working and taking a day off is considered a luxury.  I invite folx to reclaim their time and deconstruct how this has shown up in their personal lives.  As Audre Lorde reminds us, “it’s self-preservation.”  I invite readers to deconstruct and challenge the narratives that have been passed down through generations and become societal norms. 
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Here are some tips to consider as we get ready to take some needed rest:
  • Be intentional – what does your heart and soul need?
  • Practice self-compassion – don't measure your “productivity” on “how much” you get done. Be gentle with yourself.  Maybe your body needed to just binge watch and not necessarily get “anything” done.
  • Tap into your joy. What makes you laugh? What makes you smile? Find one thing that taps into your joy and do it. Then do more of it.
  • Play music that makes your soul smile.
  • Tap into your creativity whether it’s drawing, painting, coloring mandalas, writing, acting etc.
  • Move.  Stretch. Dance. Spend time connecting with your body.
  • Set time aside to unplug to tend to your soul.
  • Connect with nature. Walk barefoot on grass, sit outside and let the sun kiss your face. Feel the breeze. Breathe.
  • Eat food that helps bring balance. Remember that foods like hummus, grapes, nuts and oranges help when feeling stressed.
  • Increase serotonin by practicing gratitude at the beginning and end of your day. 
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Helpful tips on “how boundaries can sound like during the holidays” from @selfloverainbow:
  • “I’m not able to attend this year.”
  • “I appreciate the invite but this year, I'm going to be staying home.”
  • “I would love to bring that dish, but my schedule is full. Maybe next time?”
  • “I’m not discussing politics.”
  • “I’m focusing on my mental health and doing xyz...”
  • “I can come, but I need to leave by...”
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Things To Stop Apologizing For (source: LinkedIN - Anonymous)
  • Asking questions
  • Not being available at all times.
  • Feelings
  • Vocalizing your needs
  • Outgrowing a place or situation.
  • Your accomplishments
  • Not looking “presentable”
  • Doing things that make you happy.
  • Having boundaries. 

​Resources to consider:
  • @selfloverainbow – will give you reminders on how to take care of your body, soul and heart.
  • @thetappingsolution – it's a great resource on using tapping for anxiety and helping you sleep.
  • Set up a monthly calendar of acts of self-care. Check out the calendar on Light the Change’s (LTC) monthly newsletter, “In the Kitchen."
When all else seems too hard, maybe you just need a pep talk. Call (707) 873-7862 for a pep talk from some of our youngest teachers from K-6th grades from West Side Elementary School. AND above all, be kind to yourself and show yourselves some grace. 
​“It can be scary to rest.  To slow down can feel terrifying. Also liberating. Be in your body. Intuit more. Breathe more. Tap on your energy centers more. Consciously & constantly clear your space. You are building a Growth map. One that leads to your best Self. This is magic too.” - @DrJennyJennM (Decolonizing Therapy) 
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Blog Post Written By: Karina Gonzalez, Clinical Supervisor 

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SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Hayward High

12/12/2022

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The Mosaic Outpatient School-Based Program has been in partnership with Hayward High School for nearly a full decade! Our current therapy team onsite includes Amber Keil, ASW, PPSC, Cristina Scott, Psy.D., and Julissa Navas, a clinical trainee from UC Berkeley who provides mental health services to students and families, including individual, group, and family therapy, as well as consultation and training to school staff and partners. Hayward High is rich with diversity and Hayward pride! The majority of students who attend Hayward High have a relative who also attended the school. We also have several school staff members who are alumni themselves. As such, the school has built strong relationships with families and the larger community, and it is a gift to us to be a part of it.
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Mosaic staff has had the unique opportunity of being at the forefront of developing the Coordination of Services Team, with one of our clinicians facilitating the meeting up until 2020. We also had the privilege of bringing many trauma-informed resources to support student and staff wellbeing in partnership with the Kaiser Permanente Resilience Initiative for many years. Our staff has also been part of a larger collaboration to expand social-emotional curriculum resources district wide. Currently, we work to provide key insight into our students emotional and behavioral needs as we navigate the ongoing trauma of the pandemic.  This can include classroom and staff presentations, consultation meetings with staff, and presentations for caregivers. Last month, we participated in HUSD’s parent power sessions by facilitating a workshop for more than 25 Hayward caregivers on the topic of Parenting Through the Pandemic and Beyond.
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The words from a couple of our Hayward High School partners illustrate the quality of the partnership and collaboration we have created and deeply cherish:
“Over the years it has been an invaluable program for our school, especially this year with the increase we have seen in anxiety, depression, and risk. Not just their counseling services, they have always gone above and beyond. They are reliable, dependable; it’s like a safety blanket knowing they are there. A lot comes up, and to have them available provides support and comfort knowing I can turn to them.”
“Our Seneca partnership is a major part of our school community. They are always helpful with situations and with information needed to help serve our school community better. They are always willing to collaborate on finding new ways, including Tier 1 supports, to help students and staff receive mental health support.”
We truly feel part of the school community and we have always been warmly welcomed as part of the Farmer family. We are proud of the work we do here on The Farm! 
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Blog Post Written By: Mosaic Outpatient Team

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SCHOOL HIGLIGHT: Community School for Creative Education

12/5/2022

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This year, Seneca has partnered with Community School for Creative Education (CSCE), a Waldorf public charter school located in the San Antonio district of Oakland, California. CSCE serves TK-8th grade with approximately 200 students. CSCE’s mission is to provide a rigorous college-preparatory program integrated into a culturally rich, arts-infused, highly personalized curriculum inspired by Waldorf education for the diverse students of Oakland, to promote equity and prepare culturally competent, well-rounded, lifelong learners to lead, contribute to, and successfully participate in our rapidly changing multicultural society. 

The Waldorf approach to education is an inclusive and holistic experience for all students, focusing on more than academics in hopes of providing students with the tools to navigate life. Staff work to understanding the developmental nature of the students as well as their lived experience both inside and outside of school. CSCE strives to be a vital community partner by cultivating robust connections for students and their families. CSCE’s core values are to take care of yourself, others, and space. Education for the hands, head, and heart enhances both social emotional and academic outcomes for all students. Similarly, Seneca’s Unconditional education (UE) model strives to provide opportunities for all students to be integrated into their greater school communities while working deliberately to close the immense educational opportunities and achievement gaps. Both the UE model and the Waldorf educational approach focuses on centering students and relationships. 
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CSCE chose to work in partnership with Seneca to boost overall culture and climate and to enrich their Coordination of Services Team (COST). In melding UE with the Waldorf approach, our work is to build consistent systems and structures, enhance CSCE’s relational approach to working with students, and to celebrate student and staff wins along the way. As in all of our partnerships, the work will be to support the school in integrating the behavioral, relational, and ecological approach to student support. This includes finding the balance between leveraging the power of individual relationships in support of student growth and development, while also creating a level of predictability and consistency in school-wide expectations for behavior and behavioral supports. All of this work is in support of creating a trauma-informed, and healing-centered learning environment where students, staff, and families feel safe, seen, and empowered to be their most authentic selves.

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Blog Post Written By: Devina Brooks, Director of School Partnerships

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STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Anisa Siddeeq

12/5/2022

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Name: Anisa Siddeeq
Position: Senior Mental Health Counselor
What led you to your current position: I've always wanted to get involved in work centering mental health and when I saw the opportunity to be a counselor, I thought it would be a great experience.
What inspires you to do this work: Some days are difficult in this work, but I believe in the impact of what we do and that is what keeps me grounded.
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role: An important lesson I've learned in this role is accepting that you're human- it sounds silly but when you are in a position of being a role model it's hard to remember that. Showing up as my authentic self helps the students more than acting like you have it all figured out every single day. 
Share your life motto or something unique about yourself: My life's motto is you don't have to show up perfectly because showing up as you are is enough. 

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SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Rainier Valley Leadership Academy in Seattle

12/5/2022

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Congratulations! If you’re reading this, that means you’ve made it some of the hardest months in education. When the days get shorter, the honeymoon is over with our scholars, and the reality of our work load sets in just in time for flu season. It’s no wonder that folks in schools across the country report feeling at an all time low.
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It was no different for our Seneca Team at Rainier Valley Leadership Academy up in Seattle, Washington, except for the fact that our Student Support Counselor Jenna Kitzes, Clinical Intervention Specialist Sarah Borger, and Unconditional Education Coach Tomás Castillo, took the October Blues as a challenge. So, they asked scholars what would be fun, and scholars asked for a dance.

Now, planning a dance for both a middle and high school can feel like a risky undertaking, especially when we see challenging behaviors and unsafe interactions during the school day. When these things take place in an environment as structured as a classroom, it can make a poorly lit dance floor with energetic hormonal teenage bodies feel out of the question. Despite some very understandable hesitations, our team held fast to the belief that when we set our scholars up for success with clear expectations and engaging activities, they’ll meet us where we set the bar.
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It’s a good thing that no one takes fun as seriously as our team at RVLA because a night of engaging activities meant coordinating the options to choose between the dance floor DJ’d by a high schooler, a game room for basketball/foosball players, a spooky escape room, a fashion runway, a photo booth, and pumpkin decorating, all sandwiched around a spread of fall treats. Clear expectations meant that both scholars and chaperones had explicit instruction for each of these spaces, as students moved freely between them and chaperones followed a tightly orchestrated shift rotation that would make a wedding planner proud. And that was when it happened… 

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Scholars had found some equipment from the after school program in the gym in the form of Pugil sticks, huge Q-tip shaped sticks used for sparring. 
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Chaperones and staff locked eyes across the room and no one needed to say anything to know that we were all thinking the same thing: safety. But before anyone yelled, “Put those back!” everyone paused and just watched. One scholar was using the Pugil stick as an air guitar to the music. Another was ballroom dancing with it. Two more were pretending they were pirates. And it dawned on all of us- they were playing. Like kids. I was processing my shock at the wholesome scene in front of me when a teacher grabbed a Pugil stick and joined the two pirates. The scholars screamed with laughter and broke into a run, which is when something truly beautiful happened: everyone joined. Parents, teachers, tweens, and teens, running, laughing, dancing, and all playing with absolute unbridled joy. 
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There are too many reasons to be serious in this world we are trying to prepare our children for.  When we show up to our jobs to do a thing called “work” it can be all too easy to center our own fear so that the things we think we’re doing for our kids actually come at the expense of them being kids. What Jenna, Sarah, and Tomás have so beautifully modeled is that when we center our youth, we act on the belief in their excellence. And when we do this, it’s transformative not just for our scholars, but for ourselves and our collective communities at large. 
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Blog Post Written By: Katrina Carleton, Director of School Partnerships

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