Login | April 30, 2025
Organization offers school-based counseling to students in need
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 26, 2020
When Tara Gordon’s youngest child started kindergarten at a Barberton elementary school in the fall of 2019, her mother said she was experiencing anxiety.
“My daughter has sensory issues and combined with the anxiety associated with the transition, she needed some extra help,” said Gordon.
Luckily for Gordon, there was already a licensed mental health therapist stationed in the school to provide her daughter with coping techniques and check on her regularly to see how see was doing.
“She meets with the counselor once a week and she can stop by and see the counselor anytime,” said Gordon. “The counselor periodically checks in on her during lunch or in the hallways. Sometimes if I know she had a rough morning, I ask the counselor to check on her.
“My daughter is now learning how to calm herself and is doing better.”
The girl’s elementary school isn’t the only one that offers school-based counseling. In fact, all of Barberton’s public schools and a number of other districts across Summit County offer the service to students and parents.
It’s all courtesy of a unique partnership with Red Oak Behavioral Health in Akron, which seeks to address and monitor academic, emotional and behavioral issues on a daily basis.
Ann Robson, director of clinical services for Red Oak Behavioral Health said it all began about 20 years ago when members of the Akron Public Schools board and administration reached out to the organization to request counselors be placed in its middle schools as a pilot to help identify and work with students who had behavioral issues and/or poor attendance.
“Instead of just coming in and out of the schools, we embedded a therapist into each building who was available to see multiple students each day,” said Robson. “It’s the same model we use today, only now we have a therapist assigned to every public school in Akron as well as many other schools.
“I think it’s particularly helpful because our embedded therapists are part of the fabric of the school, much like any other school staff member, which helps to reduce the stigma of seeking help.
“It also helps to eliminate the barrier to access since parents don’t have to worry about making an appointment and bringing the student to the appointment.”
A member of the Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition (MHAC), Red Oak Behavioral Health currently provides assistance to nearly 3,200 families in the schools each year, billing their insurance for the services they deliver.
Established in Cleveland in 2003, the MHAC advocates for public policies and strategies that support coalition members like Red Oak, which provide a variety of perspectives on mental health and addiction issues impacting children, adolescents and seniors.
“Red Oak Behavioral Health and other members of the MHAC provide a powerful voice as advocates through their direct interactions with individuals in need of mental health and addiction services,” said MHAC Northeast Ohio Hub Director Karen Kearney.
“We are grateful for the insights and expertise of members like Red Oak,” said Kearney. “The diversity of our membership provides our coalition with a holistic perspective on public policy issues and allows us to work towards results that will better support individuals impacted by mental illness and/or addiction disorders.”
Barberton City Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Ramnytz first became familiar with the services provided by Red Oak Behavioral Health about 12 years ago while principal of Barberton High School.
“I saw the positive impact the counselors had on the students and the parents,” said Ramnytz. “The students looked forward to touching base with the counselors and there were noticeable improvements.
“The Red Oak counselors are now a part of our family here in Barberton.”
Ramnytz said the school district is planning to expand the relationship with Red Oak this spring.
“The governor is giving the school districts extra funding for social, emotional and student success,” he said. “We plan to partner with Red Oak to train our staff to recognize social and emotional issues and then coordinate with outside organizations to work with children and families.
“For instance anxiety is one issue that has always been a problem that students struggle with, but now we will be attacking it on a larger scale.”
Gordon said she’s grateful for the services provided by Red Oak, which she also relied upon to help her oldest child.
“My son suffered with severe anxiety and saw a counselor from third to sixth grade,” said Gordon. “He has now graduated from counseling, but to have someone there for him was great.
“A parent does not always have all the answers and sometimes kids won’t follow our suggestions, but when a counselor tells them to do something, they will do it.”