Counseling & Mental Health
School-based counseling and child therapy, delivered on the IEP or IESP mandate.
Counseling at school from licensed clinicians
Student counseling and one-on-one therapy address the social-emotional side of school: the anxiety, focus, and regulation challenges that get in the way of learning. Our providers deliver it on-site, as the mandate specifies.
- Licensed LCSWs and LMHCs matched to the counseling mandate
- Your child's counselor is a licensed clinical social worker or mental health counselor, chosen to fit the mandate, your child's age, and the school.
- Individual and small-group sessions on-site during the school day
- Sessions happen at your child's school during the regular day, and the IEP or IESP team sets how often they meet and for how long.
- Evidence-based approaches: CBT, DBT-informed, and trauma-informed care
- Counselors are trained in child and adolescent therapy, and they always work within the goals that your child's plan sets.
- Coordination with families, teachers, and administrators
- Providers stay in touch with the adults around your child so the support from a session carries into the rest of the school day.
Who it’s for
- Anxiety & depression
- ADHD & attention needs
- Autism-spectrum–related needs
- School adjustment & behavior
- Trauma & emotional regulation
When counseling is on the plan and DOE-authorized, families pay nothing.
School-based counseling is a publicly funded service. When it is mandated on a student’s IEP or IESP and authorized by the DOE or district, the district funds it and families are not billed. We coordinate within that framework so a student’s support is never held up over cost.
Verify insurance coverage
From mandate to first session
Pick any part of the sentence to see the detail.
Counseling is a service written into a student's IEP or IESP. We work from that mandate: the frequency, the duration, and the goals the plan specifies.
- Written into the student's IEP or IESP
- How often sessions happen
- How long each session runs
- The goals counseling works toward
From our network of licensed clinical social workers and mental health counselors, we match a provider to the mandate, the student's age, and the school setting.
Every session is documented and reviewed for completeness, so the record is in order when an annual review or reevaluation comes up.
Common questions
Who provides the counseling?
Sessions are delivered by Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) and Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs), credentialed for the service, trained in child and adolescent therapy, and cleared to work with children before a first session. Our coordination team stays with the engagement throughout.
Who is student counseling for?
Students who have counseling written into their IEP or IESP as a mandated service. In practice, our providers support students working through anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism-spectrum–related needs, school adjustment, and trauma (always within the goals the plan sets).
Does counseling cost families anything?
When counseling is mandated on a student's IEP or IESP and authorized by the DOE or school district, the service is funded by the district. Families are not billed. It is a service the student is already entitled to; our job is to make sure it gets filled.
Where and when do sessions take place?
On-site at the student's school, during the regular school day, in individual or small-group sessions. Providers coordinate with families, teachers, and administrators so the support carries into the rest of the student's day.
How is the frequency decided?
Frequency and duration are set by the IEP/IESP team, not by us. Providers deliver the mandate as written, document every session, and feed the progress reporting schools rely on at review time.
How do we get started?
Tell us the mandate and the school. Our coordination team responds to every inquiry within 24 hours, typically within 4–6 hours, and treats an unfilled counseling mandate as urgent.
See the full education catalog, explore play therapy, or call (718) 540-8268.
If counseling is on the plan but sessions are not happening
- Counseling is on the IEP, but I can't tell if anyone is seeing my child.
- You can ask the school who the assigned counselor is and when sessions are scheduled, and your NYC Schools Account may also show the provider. Keep a dated note of what you learn. If the school has no one, counseling is one of the services an RSA can cover, and that is when to call us.
- Can a private therapist even accept the school's RSA letter?
- Only some can. NYC Public Schools requires RSA counseling to come from a New York State licensed psychologist, clinical social worker or mental health counselor who is cleared by the city, and not the person who evaluated your child. We match licensed clinical social workers and mental health counselors.
- I'm not sure school counseling is enough for what my child is facing.
- Counseling on an IEP works on school goals such as coping skills, self-control and getting along with peers. It does not replace care from your child's doctor or an outside therapist, and a child can have both. If the goals or frequency no longer fit, you can ask the IEP team to meet.
- The counseling page of the IEP or IESP
- Your RSA letter, if you have one
- School name, grade and borough
- Sessions per week, length, individual or group
- Language your child is most comfortable in
You can call without all of these. We will work out the rest with you.
More in Education Services
Request a counseling provider
Tell us the school and the mandate. Our coordination team treats unserved mandates with urgency and responds within 24 hours, typically within 4–6 hours.
