What is a SAC? The Student Assistance Counselor (SAC) maintains an important and effective place in the public schools. The SAC is uniquely positioned to provide both individual and school-wide services that directly impact on classroom instruction, behavior management, student safety, family support, and community relations. Direct services include individual student assessment, counseling and referral, and student-specific input and collaboration with other faculty during Intervention and Referral Services, Child Study Team and 504 meetings, as well as individual case conferencing with teachers, parents, guidance counselors, child study team members, and administrators.
School-wide services include development and adherence of policies (and facilitation of in-service trainings) on state-mandated topics (substance abuse, suicide, physical/sexual abuse, and sexual harassment policies). The SAC is equipped to develop and implement school crisis response plans in the event of catastrophic emotional events that impact multiple students. The SAC acts as a liaison with community agencies as a regular participant in Municipal Alliance meetings and ongoing communication with local law enforcement officials.
GOALS
The goals of a SAC are to help students develop healthy coping skills and make positive lifestyle choices. The SAC helps students avoid high risk behaviors so they can succeed in attaining their academic and personal goals . Services are provided to students whose lives have been affected by their own or someone else’s use of alcohol or other drugs.
Can the Student Assistance Counselor Help you?
Are you worried about how often you feel sad?
Do you feel a loss of control in your life?
Do you have a parent, relative or substance abuse upsets you?
Are you concerned about your own drinking or drug use?
Are you increasingly concerned about your body image; weight gain or weight loss? Are you involved in crash dieting, binge eating, or vomiting?
Do you continue to involve yourself with people who have problem behaviors such as abusing alcohol or other drugs, selling drugs or other illegal activities?
Is violence a concern to you?
8. Do you feel alone, depressed and feel that no one could possibly understand you?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions the Student Assistance Counselor may be of help to you!
What Can I Expect?
When you first meet with the SAC, the SAC will discuss your situation with you and tell you about services that are available in the school and in the community to help you. You may choose to see the SAC again and/or be referred to additional support systems, such as groups and community resources. Your participation is completely voluntary unless you are referred for violating North Haledon's Drug and Alcohol Use Policy.
Early signs of a student “at risk”
Your parents and teachers care about you and are concerned about your well-being. When they aren’t sure how else to help, they may refer you to the SAC. Friends may also refer you if they notice a change in your behavior or mood.
The early signs of a student “at risk” may from time to time exhibit some of the signs listed below as they meet normal everyday challenges. A combination of factors should be present before drug and alcohol use is suspected, but even when all those factors are present, drug and alcohol use is still only one possibility among all the things that can affect our students.
Marked personality change - A placid, softly spoken student suddenly becomes noisy and abusive. The change may be gradual and apparent only on reflection. Sometimes the reverse may also happen.
Mood swings - Moods may swing from high to low and back again, seemingly without reason, with outbursts sparked by simple events.
Changes in physical appearance or well-being - Changes in weight, sleep patterns and general health may be sudden or gradual. They may include slurred speech, staggering, sluggishness, pinpoint or dilated pupils, talkativeness, euphoria, nausea and vomiting.
Change in school performance - A significant decrease in performance, especially when a student has been diligent, may be an indicator of difficulties. A rapid change from poor performance to diligence may be equally important. An abundance of frequent lateness, absence from class, and disengagement are signs too.
Increased secretive communication with others - A student may suddenly seem to be in secretive communication with others; this is often manifested as cryptic telephone calls. It should be remembered that some of this may only be typical adolescent behavior.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality is a vital aspect of the Student Assistance Counselor. Exceptions to the laws of confidentiality are specific in cases involving suicidal ideation (harm to self or others) or incidents of abuse or neglect. In these circumstances, appropriate actions to protect the safety of the student and/or others are required.
The Association of Student Assistance Professionals of New Jersey - http://www.asapnj.org/
The New Jersey Administrative Code (18A:40) requires policies for suspicion of substance use among students. This policy is predicated on a knowledgeable staff—both in terms of familiarity with common drugs of abuse and their related symptoms, as well as response procedures. The SAC is specifically trained in all mandated subcomponents of these statutes, including staff training on current trends, signs and symptoms of abuse, knowledge of local and community organizations that are available for the prevention, early intervention, treatment and rehabilitation of individuals who show symptoms of substance abuse, legal guidelines for the implementation of substance abuse policies, and the ability to interview students suspected of abuse in order to assess a student’s current level of drug/alcohol involvement.