Welcome to Straight Talk - Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Rehabilitative Services

Campus and Community Services Program

Straight Talk Clinic provides counseling services at more than 90 local elementary, junior high, and high schools, providing at-risk students with a safe haven to address the problems they may face during childhood and adolescence. These services are offered in coordination with school staff and administration.

Because students today face numerous problems that may interfere with their ability to concentrate and perform well in school, they often need additional emotional support and guidance. This is where Straight Talk Counselors play a valuable role. A student’s time spent with an attentive, caring professional counselor can be a key to learning how to cope with many childhood problems. Some children need specialized assistance to effectively manage behavior and impulse control difficulties, accept responsibility, establish appropriate goals, resist negative peer pressure, and cope with the consequences of substance abuse. Our staff also addresses such subjects as bullying or threatening behaviors, violence, grief and loss, and suicide prevention. The program supports the efforts of staff and administrators to identify and help at-risk students whose emotional and social needs often exceed the schools resources.

Straight Talk’s program offers the resources of a local community mental health organization that serves as a great support to school psychologists, counselors, classroom teachers, administrators, and other personnel who interact with at-risk students, but are limited in time or expertise.

Campus and Community Resources

• Specialized Ciriculum
• Bullying Program
• Supstance Diversion
• Green Dot
• Counselors located on campus
• School Personnel have access to Licensed Therapists for Consultation
• Emergency Response Team
• Referral Network for Families
• Community Clinic

Program Staff
The program is staffed with Masters-level trainees and post-graduate interns working under the close supervision of licensed therapists. Counselor-interns attend supervision on a weekly basis. They work closely with school personnel and carry out the management of cases which may include parent consultation, intake and evaluation, individual and group counseling sessions, collaboration with school personnel, and referrals to outside resources as appropriate.

All staff are experienced counselors and have undergone an thorough interview/screening process. Additionally, interns are trained on district-specific policy and procedure, child abuse reporting, dynamics of dysfunctional families, drug and alcohol education, depression, general counseling approaches with at-risk students, and intervention strategies.

Straight Talk's permanent supervisory staff of experienced Marriage and Family Therapists and Psychologists are directly involved in the training and oversight of all of our campus counselors.

To learn how Straight Talk’s Campus and Community Services Program can be included in your school, call us at (714) 828-2000 or email slummus@straighttalkcounseling.org.