WCU Public Safety: 610-436-3311

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

Chester County Crisis Services

Valley Creek Crisis Center
469 Creamery Way
Exton, PA 19341
(610) 280-3270

Valley Creek Crisis Center, located in Exton, PA, offers a crisis program to assist children, adolescents and adults experiencing varying levels of crisis. Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are free to the residents of Chester County. All of Valley Creek’s services are consumer-driven, recovery-oriented and culturally competent. This is achieved through the utilization of psychiatric rehabilitation principles, the use of peer specialists throughout the crisis system and a strong emphasis on diversionary efforts to help maintain individuals in the community whenever possible. Valley Creek Crisis Center has culturally diverse staff, including individuals fluent in Spanish.

Delaware County Crisis Services Connections Team (Mobile Crisis Team): 1-855-889-7827

The County has two Psychiatric Crisis Centers that provide crisis intervention, 24 Hour telephone and walk-in services, as well as Psychiatric Emergency Commitment Procedures. Crozer Chester Medical Center services the communities located in the South & Western part of the County and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital services the North and Eastern parts of Delaware County.

• Crozer Chester Medical Center – 610-447-7600 – One Medical Center Blvd. Chester, PA 19013, www.crozer.org
• Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital – 610-237-4210- 1500 Lansdowne Ave. Darby, PA 19013, www.mercyhealth.org

Montgomery County Crisis Services:

Montgomery County Emergency Services
50 Beech Drive
Norristown, PA 19403
24/7 Hotline: 610-279-6100 or 1-844-455-7455

Provides services for individuals experiencing psychiatric and/or drug/alcohol emergencies. Experienced crisis workers provide telephone support, referral information and comprehensive assessment. Crisis services are intended to help individuals feel empowered to stabilize their lives. Crisis workers and a psychiatrist meet with an individual and conduct a comprehensive assessment. When appropriate, a nurse practitioner or psychologist will be made part of the assessment team. Any individuals with medical conditions are assessed by a physician’s assistant or psychiatrist and may be referred to a local general hospital for further evaluation/treatment.

Abington Memorial Hospital Crisis Line: (215) 481-2525

Bucks County Crisis Services

Mental Health Crisis Line: 1-800-499-7455

Can also call:
Upper Bucks: 215-257-6551
Central Bucks: 215-345-2273
Lower Bucks: 215-785-9765

Philadelphia County Crisis Services

Suicide and Crisis Intervention Line: 215-686-4420

Office of Behavioral Health Emergency/Information Line: 215-685-6440

Crisis Response Centers

Berks County Crisis Services

Crisis Intervention Services: 610-236-0530

Service Access and Management
19 North 6th Street
Reading, PA 19601
1-877-236-4600 or 610-236-0361
Crisis Intervention and Emergency Services can be reached all day, every day by calling the numbers above and asking to speak with a Crisis worker.

Lancaster County Crisis Services

Crisis Intervention: 717-394-2631
1120 Frances Ave
Lancaster, PA 17601

Human Services (Takes Medical Access)
320 E. Lancaster Ave.
Downingtown, PA
610-873-1010

Family Services (Sliding scale) (Takes Medical Access)
Mark Burrows (Director)
Group Practice with good reputation & referrals
310 N. Matlack St.
West Chester, PA 19382
610-696-4900

Holcolm Behavioral Health Systems (Takes Medical Access)
469 Creamery Way
Exton, PA 19344
610-280-3270

Child Guidance Resource Center (Takes Medical Access)
744 E Lincoln Highway, Suite 420
Coatesville, PA 19320
610-383-5635 or         866-799-3325 (Toll Free)

Delaware County Professional Services (West Chester location)
780 E Market St, Suite 230
West Chester, PA 19382
610-892-3800

Dr. Andrew D'Amico, PhD LLC Licensed Psychologist
1030 E Lancaster Ave
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 527-1051

Life Counseling Services (Exton & Paoli) 800-882-2799

Exton Office
491 John Young Way, Suite 300
Exton, PA 19341
610-644-6464

Paoli Office
219 W. Lancaster Ave
Paoli, PA 19301
610-644-6464

Associates of Springfield Psychological (West Chester and Springfield locations)

West Chester Office
709 East Gay St.
West Chester, PA 19380
610-544-2110

Springfield Office
1489 Baltimore Pike, Building 200 Suite 250
Springfield, PA 19064
Call (610) 544-2110

Associates of Springfield Psychological
Christopher Seghers, LCSW
1489 Baltimore Pk, Suite 250
Springfield, PA 19064
-and-
709 E Gay St
West Chester, PA 19382
610-544-2110 ext 109 (phone); 610-604-9510 (fax)

Dr. Victoria Petro Neely
1546 McDaniel Drive
West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380
610-915-8315

Angela Nguyen-Smallwood MS, LPC
Child and Adolescent Counseling Services of Southeastern PA
24 Hagerty Boulevard
Suite 9, Office Building 104
West Chester, PA 19382
610-764-8655

Beatrice S. Lazaroff, Ph.D.
1029 N Providence Rd
Media, PA 19063
610-566-6633
-and-
401 Clairemont Rd
Villanova, PA 19085
610-527-8537

Dr. Albert Freedman (Licensed Psychologist)
1450 E Boot Rd. Suite 500-D
West Chester, PA 19380
610-431-4990 (phone); 610-431-9971 (fax)

Elizabeth Scarborough, LPC, ATR-BC, CTS
Dayspring Counseling Services
403 W Lincoln Hwy, Suite 206
Exton, Pennsylvania 19341
(610) 572-7194 x3

Bruce Mapes, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)
60 West Boot Rd
West Chester, PA 19380
610-696-8740

Chester Valley Counseling
431 Exton Commons Office Campus
Exton, PA 19341
610-594-7594

Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
430 Exton Commons
Exton, PA 19341
610-280-7282

Richard Koenig, PSYD (Marriage & Family Counseling)
Wirth Associates
47 Marchwood Rd
Marchwood Office Building
Exton, PA 19341; 610-524-9060

Mary Ann Koenig (Clinical Psychologist - Specializes in Adoption)
Wirth Associates
47 Marchwood Rd.
Exton, PA
610-524-9060

Gerald Rodichok, Ph.D.
Westtown Psychological Association
1503 McDaniel Dr.
West Chester, PA 19380
610-692-1700

Dr. Hossein Etezady (Adult & Child Psychiatrist)
Paoli Psychiatric Associates
Paoli Hospital Medical Building 1, Suite 205
Paoli, PA 19301; 610-296-0142 (phone)

Angelika Y. Sadar MA, PTR - Licensed Psychologist
Sadar Psychological & Sports Center
1288 Valley Forge Road - Suite 72
Phoenixville, PA 19460
610-933-9440 (phone), 610-933-8567 (fax)

Mitchell M. Sadar, Ph.D - Licensed Psychologist
Sadar Psychological & Sports Center
1288 Valley Forge Road - Suite 72
Phoenixville, PA 19460
610-933-9440 (phone), 610-933-8567 (fax)

Patti Anne McAndrews, MHS, LPC, CAC (Individual & Family-specialty in drug alcohol)
1062 East Lancaster Ave, Suite 21A
P.O. Box 819
Wayne, PA 19087
610-520-7775

Charles P. Roth, Ph.D. (Licensed Psychologist)
131 W Lancaster Ave.
Paoli, PA 19301
610-647-8730
-and-
412 E King St, Malvern, PA 19355
610-647-8730; (610) 647-8921 Fax

James Lorenzo Karustis, Ph.D., N.C.S.P. (Licensed Psychologist)
Psychologist/Youth, Family & Adult Therapy
Evaluation & School Consultation Services
506 E Lancaster Ave, 2^nd floor, Suite 2
Downingtown, PA 19335
610-518-1876 (phone)
610-518-1839 (fax)
DrJim@Karustis.com

DuPont Hospital for Children
1600 Rockland Rd
Wilmington, DE 19803
302-651-4000

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
South 34^th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-590-1000

John Scardina (School Psychologist)
223 West Biddle
West Chester, PA 19380
610-429-3489

Maurine L. Osborne, Ph.D. (Licensed Psychologist)
Paoli Psychological Service
131 W Lancaster Ave., Paoli, PA 19301
610-647-8730
-and-
412 E King St, Malvern, PA 19355
610-647-8730; (610) 647-8921 Fax Psychiatrists

Dr. Jeffrey Naser (Psychiatrist)
1137 Lancaster Ave
Berwyn, PA 19312
610-647-3959

Robert C. Cohn (Psychiatrist)
2300 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 3B, Wilmington, DE 19806
302-426-1118
-and-
324 S 34^th St., Phila, PA 19104
215-590-1059

Dr. James MacFadyen (Psychiatrist – specializes in ADHD, children)
Private Practice in home
979 Sunset Hollow Rd.
West Chester, PA 19380
610-436-0573

Dr. Robert Newbrough, M.D. (Adolescent & Pediatric Psychiatry)
455 Boot Road
Downingtown, PA 19335
484-237-5000 (phone), 610-444-3495 (fax)

Anxiety/Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:

Lori J. Kasmen, PSYD
Director of Child and Adolescent Programs
The Anxiety & Agoraphobia Treatment Center
112 Bala Ave
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
610-667-6490

Philip C. Kendall, PhD
Director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic
Temple University
Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorder Clinic
215-204-1558, 215-204-7165

Lynne Siqueland, PhD
Children’s Center for OCD and Anxiety
3138 Butler Pike, Suite 200
Plymouth Meeting, Pa., 19462
484-530-0778 (phone); 484-530-0998 (fax)

Sally A. Allen, M.S. Ed. (Licensed Psychologist)
(Comprehensive services, including free support groups for children with OCD)
Clinical Director at Rosemont Counseling Associates
1062 Lancaster Ave., Suite 9
Rosemont, PA 19010
610-525-1510 (phone); 610-525-2586 (fax)

Couples/Changing Family Therapists

Dr. Mary M. Eno
7203 Greene St
Philadelphia, PA 19119
(215) 242-3936

SEL and Mental Health Considerations

In the article by EdSource titled Student anxiety, depression increasing during school closures, survey finds, Carolyn Jones states, “More than half the students who responded to the survey said they’re in need of mental health support since the school closures began in mid-March. That includes 22% who said they were receiving some kind of support before the closures but now have limited or no access to those services and an additional 32% who said their mental health needs have arisen since schools closed.” Also, the article discusses an ACLU youth committee directed survey given to students. The survey “asked students to grade their mental wellness before and after schools closed, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 indicating top mental health. Before the pandemic, 65% of students gave themselves a 7 or higher. After the pandemic, that percentage had dropped to less than 40%.

Worse, the number of students who rated their mental health a 3 or lower more than tripled after the pandemic began, from 7.2% to 23%.” (Jones, 2020)

Although these statistics are centered on pandemic learning, many of the same issues can result from students being at home all day if they are enrolled in the Cyber Academy. Even if online learning is the best modality for them, the isolation that they feel, the break from social circles, and the anxiety from potentially being home alone can be unexpected.

Empathy for Students

Here are quotes gathered from the aforementioned article from students:

“I have to balance my classes, zoom meetings, homework, AP exams to study for and work. Currently I’m the only one working in my family therefore I provide any necessities for my family. I work during the night so it’s difficult to wake up early.”

“I have been home for over a month now ever since school ended on March 13th and I don’t go out at all not even for groceries because my parents believe it’s unsafe and I’m worried because my dad still works and has to ride the bus everyday with 20 other people and that’s so risky. School wise my teachers are giving me extra homework than what they actually do at school … I also have younger siblings and they have homework due online as well and because my parents barely understand technology I have to be like my siblings teacher and balancing both my education and my siblings is very difficult. I feel very stressed out because it’s too much to handle all at once.”

“My mom works at a hospital where she is exposed every day to the coronavirus and I’m worried something will happen to her.”

“Online work seems pointless. Everything is ‘busy work.’ I’m not learning anything. My senior year has been taken away from me and I have no motivation to finish it.”

“The amount of time that my family is spending together is making us more susceptible to fighting and we have no way to spend time apart so it turns into a cycle of me getting yelled at.”

“Hugging my friends, talking to teachers and sitting next to classmates are now luxuries. I have had dreams about hugging people and wake up crying.”

One of the best ways to support students in online learning is to support their teachers in understanding what gaps may be present in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that may prevent students from being successful in the online class. Teachers should understand the district processes and policies for:

• How to address identified gaps in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• How to refer Cyber students for maltreatment
• The process for referring Cyber students for mental health services
• Identifying student behaviors who may be suffering from mental health issues and need additional services

Beyond policies and procedures, it’s also imperative to help Cyber teachers understand and empathize with the unique situations that Cyber students may be facing. Some students may be traveling, some students may need to work to help support their family, and some students may spend much of their time home alone. Reaching out to students on a regular basis for feedback on how their semester is going will be one way to understand how they are feeling about working from home.

Although it was created during pandemic learning, the video Numb by Liv McNeil can be a powerful message to what could be happening at home with Cyber students.

The Benefits of Online Learning and Social-Emotional Skills

When given proper support, there are many social-emotional related skills that are a by-product of learning online. For example, students need to practice self-regulation skills, self-advocacy and agency, time management, and responsible-decision making to name a few.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning’s (CASEL)  Core SEL Competencies

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning’s (CASEL)

Core SEL Competencies

However, students may not be naturally gifted in these areas and might need additional support. If a student is not able to get their work done in a timely manner, for example, the root cause may be that they don’t understand the way that they organize their time in the way it works for them. They may not ever have had to time manage before because their school days were mostly scheduled for them. If school counselors are working with students to determine the root cause of falling behind, it may be in missing social-emotional skills that they never had to practice on their own before.

Also, from the standpoint of working online, building relationships and practicing relationship skills are going to be more critical as students as isolated, particularly social students who are extroverted but may happen to learn better online. Opportunities for relationship-building and collaboration need to be intentionally placed so students have the opportunity to connect. The article When it Comes to Social Emotional Development, Relationships Matter, Especially During COVID-19 states, “After all, to do remote learning well, it is critical to make engagement interpersonal through presence and responsiveness, with opportunities for students to engage with each other, and to center both community and personalization. Districts can take this work even further by finding ways to reach out to students and their families in personal ways to check in and connect them with resources” (Duchesneau, 2020).

Support for Parents

Many parents are aware that students suffer from mental health issues, but they may not want to believe their student would be one of them or they may not be able to recognize the signs and be unaware. Many more parents are even less aware of what social-emotional learning is, and may think that it centers around student engagement, which is a common misconception. We need to help students, but for online students, parents are our first line of defense for noticing any odd behaviors because they are the ones who see the students on a regular basis. Even if a Cyber teacher has a regularly scheduled online meeting with students, it can still be difficult in that setting to notice changes in a student’s behavior. Therefore, it would be of significant help to Cyber students if their parents were informed.

Social-Emotional Learning

As previously stated, many parents aren’t aware of what social-emotional learning entails. Therefore, providing parents with definitions, such as the CASEL Core Competencies with descriptors, can set a foundation of a common language so everyone can speak about SEL collaboratively. In addition, the links below may be helpful to support parents in supporting their students:

TODAY’S Parenting Guides SEL Toolkit - “provide benchmarks and tips for your child's academic, physical and social emotional growth”

Confident Parents Confident Kids - “A site for parents actively supporting kids' social and emotional development”

CASEL Curated Websites

CASEL Curated Blogs

Mental Health

Although parents may be familiar with mental health and mental health challenges, they may not know the symptoms of mental health issues and behaviors to look for, as well as the path to receiving mental health support for their students. Providing parents with a simple quick-guide of look-fors for mental health issues with instructions on how to contact the district with concerns would be a good start to providing the information parents need to recognize unhealthy patterns. The difference between Cyber students and brick-and-mortar students when it comes to mental health is the potential increase of loneliness and isolation as well as anxiety if they feel like they don’t know where to get help when necessary. Also, brick-and-mortar students spend time with adults other than their parents which increases the likelihood that someone will notice a change in their pattern of behavior. Cyber students will be more limited to their family recognizing a change in behavior. Providing families with this information increases the possibility that issues are caught and addressed in a timely manner before they grow into a greater or more serious concern.

The Light Program (in person)
400 Franklin Ave #240
Phoenixville, PA 19460
610-644-6464
https://thelightprogram.pyramidhealthcarepa.com/programs/teens/partial-day-program-teens/

The Light Program (in person)
1440 Russell Road
Paoli, PA 19301
610-644-6464
https://thelightprogram.pyramidhealthcarepa.com/programs/teens/partial-day-program-teens/

Horsham Chester County (in person)
885 Fox Chase Dr, Suite 100
Coatesville, PA 19320
800-237-4447
https://www.horshamclinic.com/programs/child-and-adolescent-partial-hospitalization-programs/

Mirmont (virtual from 9AM-12PM)
825 Springdale Drive
Exton, PA 19341
888-227-3898
https://www.mainlinehealth.org/specialties/mirmont-outpatient-center/psychiatric-and-emotional-disorders-treatment

Mirmont (virtual from 9AM-12PM)
600 Abbott Drive
Broomall, PA 19008
888-227-3898
https://www.mainlinehealth.org/specialties/mirmont-outpatient-center/psychiatric-and-emotional-disorders-treatment