Clinical Services

At Seaport Academy, we are focused on each student as a whole person.

 

Counseling, Psychotherapy and Support

At Seaport Academy, we support students in every facet of their lives. We understand that they are a whole person – with dreams, ambition and strengths as well as frustrations, fears and limitations. Because our students often have severe learning differences, they have not always had the same opportunities that classmates in their district schools have had. Our students know what it’s like to feel left out, angry or discouraged.

 

An Integrated Approach

Therapy – group and individual – is fully integrated into learning for Seaport students. While we  schedule time for therapy into each student’s week, our “milieu approach” to education means that support is a daily constant. Milieu counselors are around at all times to offer feedback, redirect charged emotions, encourage good choices and help students solve problems.

 

We’re interested in what our students are learning, how they are developing as people, how they are feeling about learning and how they are growing into adulthood. We work to make sure each of our students can reach their full potential. To that end, we offer multiple ways to support the growth and development of our students’ social-emotional learning. 

Counseling

 

Individual Counseling

Each student meets with a counselor at least once each week for individual counseling. Counselors provide a safe and confidential environment where a student can talk about important issues and set proactive goals for himself.

 

Group Counseling

Group counseling is a chance for students to come together to discuss important school and personal issues with a Seaport Academy counselor. Group therapy gives students a sense of context for their feelings and also helps them to understand that they are not alone.

 

We talk about complex issues such as drugs, sex education, violence prevention, peer relationships and community issues as well as personal challenges. Part of our objective is to use the students’ peer group to challenge assumptions, confront behaviors or attitudes, and validate positive choices.

Family Outreach

 

A Seaport counselor meets regularly with a student and their family or guardian to discuss the student’s progress. Meetings help encourage open communication and a partnership between the home and school. Families also use these opportunities to work on other issues that may have an effect on the student’s progress.

Collaborative Problem-Solving

 

At Seaport Academy, we work in partnership with the department of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital using their highly acclaimed Think: Kids approach to behavior management. Think: Kids’ collaborative problem-solving approach is proven to reduce challenging behavior, teach our students the skills they lack, and help them build relationships with the adults in their lives.

Learning Support

 

Every Seaport Academy student receives one-on-one learning support to help them overcome or manage their learning challenges and succeed academically. Learning supports include:

 

Learning Specialists

Seaport Academy learning specialists work individually with students to strengthen study skills, organization, reading and writing, and math skills. Our specialists also provide tutoring and help students work on skills in research, presentation and other specific academic areas.

 

Individualized Credit Recovery

Students who have missed out on credits needed for graduation will get the support they need to recover those credits at Seaport.

 

Assistive Technology

Seaport Academy makes use of assistive technology to help students make rapid progress in addressing literacy and math skills.

 

MCAS

Seaport Academy students participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Exams (MCAS). These standardized tests are given at Seaport Academy, and we provide students with the appropriate accommodations in accordance with the information included the student’s IEP. Seaport Academy’s students have a 100% MCAS pass record.

If a student is eligible for Alternate Assessments, Seaport will work with that student to ensure their portfolio and assessments meet all the criteria for graduation.

 

For questions about MCAS, please email us here.