Community Mapping

I believe one of the most essential aspects of being a school counselor is knowing the
resources that are available in your community. These resources are a great way to build
connections to the community and to provide students with the extra support and services
that the school may not offer. It is essential that a school counselor have a list of
community resources that are available to students and their families in the district they
are working on. The next section details available resources to Bellevue High School
Students, their families, and the staff at BHS.
Project READY (Reducing the Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Youth): Project
Ready is a drug and alcohol intervention program that is offered in Bellevue High
School. This study has been found to reduce alcohol consumption in youth by 200
percent and marijuana by 73 percent. The intervention uses a combined strategy of
individualized assessment, skills coaching, and problem solving skills. It offers teens a
safe place to talk about what is going on and it confidential. Anyone at Bellevue High
School can refer a student to Project READY.
Bellevue School Districts Cascade Program: The Cascade program is a program
designed for students in grades K-12 in the Bellevue School District. This program helps
to support students in special education who are experiencing emotional, psychological,
or behavioral disorders that are interfering with the functioning of the other students in
the school. Its purpose is to prepare the students for re-entry into their original school as
soon as possible. It provides students with a therapeutic self-contained learning
environment. The Cascade program placement is determined according to the individual
needs of the student. It is a secure environment where the staff provides academic
individualized education, social skills instruction, behavior management, and group
therapy. In order to remain in compliance with the Least Restrictive Environment
requirements of the IDEA, generally less restrictive program options will already have
been attempted and documented prior to referral to the Cascade program.
King County 25 Hour Crisis Line: This is a publically funded, confidential, telephone
support service for people in emotional distress or crisis. Anyone can call for immediate
support and/or linkage to a community service that may be needed. A student also does
not have to be in a crisis to call this line and it is available 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ARCS) King County: ARKS is a non-profit
organization offering broad range of human services and behavioral health programs to
Asian Pacific Americans in Kind County. ARCS helps clients attain the highest levels of
self-sufficiency in Western Society, while maintaining their cultural identity. In most
cases, clients are served by professional staff that speak the same language and come
from the same culture. Examples of services provided are: children, youth, and families
counseling, chemical dependency treatment, food banks, etcetera.
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service: Consejo Counseling focuses on serving
underserved Latino youth and their families. Services include individual and group
counseling, outpatient substance abuse treatment, behavioral health, sexual assault
prevention, and gang prevention and interventions.
Navos Mental Health Solutions: Navos is a program that aims to improve the quality of
life of people vulnerable to mental illness by providing a broad continuum of care.
Clients are empowered to create an individualized plan to develop skills, tools, and the
support they need to recover and connect with purpose. Services include individual
counseling, case management, psychiatric care, and more. There are also outpatient
programs for teens and youth.
Friends of Youth: Friends of Youth is the only program that offers overnight youth
shelters on the Eastside. They also offer youth development initiatives, in-home family
support for young parents of newborns, parent education, youth and family counseling,
substance abuse counseling, therapeutic foster care, residential treatment, and transitional
housing for homeless young people and teen mothers.
Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities: SCS offers one on one, couples,
family, and group counseling with specializing in the specific need of LGBTQ
individuals. The team of mental health counselors can help with problems such as
depression, anxiety, relationships, coming out, gender transition, and grief and loss. They
also offer addiction services through a comprehensive chemical dependency treatment
program. They also have a program called project NEON that is a harm-reduction
program for gay and bisexual men who use crystal methamphetamine.
Hopelink: Hopelink services homeless and low-income families, children, seniors, and
people with disabilities. They offer an integrated array of programs that enable families
in crisis to make progress toward and achieve self-sufficiency. Services include: food
banks, housing, family development programs, adult education, financial education,
transportation, emergency housing assistance, and emergency financial assistance.
Eastside Domestic Violence: This program offers a number of services ranging form
counseling to shelter. Their LifeWire program serves North and East King County with
program and serviced such as: 24 hour help line, advocacy services, children and teen
groups, counseling services, education and training, Latina outreach program, legal
advocacy, and womens support groups.