Primary Thoughts
Neil Mufson, Head of School

This school year we are engaging in a pilot initiative to bring the services of consulting psychologists to Primary Day. In the past several months, I have worked with Dr. Rebecca Resnik and Dr. Rachel Singer of Rebecca Resnik & Associates (RR & A), an extremely well-regarded local group of psychologists, to create a multi-faceted program to benefit all constituents of our school: students, faculty, and families.

To begin with, I wanted to make sure we were most effectively handling what psychologists are calling “fallout from the echo pandemic.” That is, I wanted us to be as proactive as possible in meeting any particular emotional and social issues that have arisen for our children due to the restrictions and disruptions of the pandemic. I wanted to have thought and action partners in providing prudent, research-based intervention strategies. This may be as simple as teaching the faculty to identify signs of emerging distress, or it may involve working with classes on topics such as stress reduction, mindfulness, worry, or social dynamics. The topics will be ever-evolving.

However, since I wanted our partnership to go beyond issues we’re seeing in the aftermath of the pandemic, RR & A will also serve as a resource for me, our Director of Teaching & Learning, our learning specialist, and our teachers when we are confronted with complex issues involving emotional health and well-being as well as complex learning issues. Our teams may seek insight when discussing challenging student situations. We may include a consulting psychologist in parent meetings, as appropriate, if you have given permission for your child to be observed.

Over time, RR & A will also lead teacher workshops to help us identify emerging mental health concerns and implement effective interventions within the classroom setting. Similarly they will conduct parenting workshops on topics such as fostering resilience in children, building children’s abilities to navigate social difficulties or setbacks, managing stressors related to parenting, empowering growing independence, or developing strategies to help children gain emotional awareness and regulation. I welcome your suggestions for other relevant topics.

Another very unique capability that RR & A will offer us is on-site therapy for individual students or small groups of students. Of course we would never have RR &A meet with your child individually without your permission, and RR & A will be offering these particular services at the parent’s expense, just as if the child were a client they saw at their site. However, two significant advantages are that receiving psychological services at school would be less disruptive to the child’s weekly routine, and students whom we refer will avoid long wait lists for service.

I will share more with you as our relationship with Rebecca Resnik & Associates develops. I anticipate inviting you to a parent program before our winter break.