Schools

Teens in crisis often cannot rationally set aside feelings to focus on school. Still others have become quite adept at hiding their true emotions behind a mask of normalcy and temporary coping strategies. The side effects of their hurt will eventually carry over into their everyday relationships with friends, teachers and coaches. School work often declines and the situation becomes more desperate as they frantically look for help to avoid what appears to them to be an inevitable, downward spiral.

Teen Lifeline understands that resources are often limited for schools. Although they care deeply about each child, teachers, counselors and principals cannot always give the individual time and attention that are necessary to truly help a hurting teen. As a non-profit organization in Tarrant County, we provide research-based programs and materials to supplement the coordinated efforts of the guidance and counseling departments. Our trained professionals are available to assist educators by providing Crisis Response Teams, Educational Materials and Internet Services on a moment’s notice. We can step in to help teenagers by giving individualized and personalized assistance in coping with their hurt.

• Crisis Response Teams

These teams will be made up of community volunteers trained by Teen Lifeline and individual school districts to respond in the event of a crisis in a school. The response teams will be equipped to counsel students that have been impacted by a crisis event. Schools will be able to contact Teen Lifeline directly and we will coordinate the response teams in cooperation with school counselors and administration.  In addition to the immediate response teams we will also be able to offer grief processing as a follow up to the crisis. At the request of the school we will set up a weekly time and place to meet the needs of the students affected by the crisis event.

• Educational Materials

Teen Lifeline is working to put together speakers that will be available to schools to come and speak in a classroom setting or a general assembly. These speakers will be professional counselors, police officers, social workers, etc. These speakers will be prepared to present to students on issues such as family relationships, grief, dating, substance use and abuse, etc.

• Internet

In the future Teen Lifeline will be able to offer entry-level support through groups online. Our goal with this will be to meet the needs of students in a non-threatening way. Students will be able to sign up online for a group and then will participate through a group chat room led by one of our trained CELL moderators to build relationships and help to answer questions related to current stressful issues.

Teen Lifeline is a faith-based organization, but at this entry-level school assistance program, our goal is simply to guide adolescents toward meaningful involvement and healthy relationships with peers and teachers. We understand the boundaries that exist for educators, and Teen Lifeline will honor those boundaries. Whether the situation warrants grief counseling for students experiencing the loss of a friend or transitional training classes for parents, Teen Lifeline can be a valuable resource to help public and private schools help hurting teens. At this initial entry level program involving schools, our services concentrate solely on providing psychological counseling and help at the request of district or campus officials.

Deeper Involvement and Help

Teen Lifeline’s Voluntary Assessment Program
Teen Lifeline views people as individuals with their own specific stories. If parents of a hurting teen want their child to grow more involved in ongoing Teen Lifeline services, there is a voluntary program that extends beyond the walls of the community schools to address the physical, spiritual and emotional well-being of the child. Each teenager who desires to participate at this deeper and more relational level goes through a thorough assessment process to develop an individualized plan for how he or she can best be served.

At this point in the program, the school’s involvement ends, and at the direct request and permission of a parent and the teenager, Teen Lifeline helps the participant become more deeply involved in the healing process by learning specific skills to restore broken relationships. At this level, teens learn about and develop competencies that will help them become contributing members of society. CELL groups provide more in-depth involvement through peer counseling, two-way communication and trust relationships. One-on-one mentoring exposes the teen to positive, adult role models and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. At this point in the program, teens become active and voluntary participants in restoring broken relationships as they experience firsthand a life lived better.