Mental Health, SEL, and Trauma Informed Resources
Emotional and Mental Health well-being is an important ingredient for students to be able to gain the most out of their high school experience. All adolescents experience ups and downs as they progress into adulthood; however, for students who require emotional/mental health support, school psychologists and school counselors are available to help navigate students toward healthy next steps. School-Based Wellness Centers, that offer a variety of services beyond counseling, are also available in all of our schools. In order to access the services found in the Wellness Centers, parents must sign a permission form.
New Programs and Initiatives
In compliance with House Bill 301 and Senate Bill 290, NCCVT is adopting and implementing two student program initiatives:
Erika’s Lighthouse
Learn More About Erin's Law
Crisis Support
For immediate help, students and families can reach out through the following channels:
- Crisis Text Line: Text DE to 988 to speak with a counselor.
- Suicide Prevention: Resources to support those in crisis.
- Mental Health & Addiction Crisis: Information on dealing with mental health crises and addiction issues
School-Based Support
Each school offers a variety of support and assistance available to students:
- School Counselors: Certified/licensed educators who improve student success for ALL students by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program to meet students’ needs across academic, social and emotional, and career/post-secondary domains.
- School psychologists: Uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to teach. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior, to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally.
- School-Based Wellness Centers: Wellness Centers provide a range of services, including counseling, health services, and more.
Student and Family Resources
These resources are available to help students and families navigate challenges and access resources:
- School, National, and Community Mental Health Resources
- Prevention and Behavioral Health Services
- NCCVT Suicide Prevention Policy
- What Do School Counselors Do?
Staff Resources
To holistically support students and staff in the school environment, the following resources are available:
- Delaware MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports)
- Mindfulness Practices
- Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources
Take Care Delaware
Research shows that trauma can undermine children’s ability to learn, form relationships, and function appropriately in the classroom. Take Care Delaware is a program aimed at ensuring that students who are exposed to violence or a traumatic incident resulting in police contact receive appropriate interventions so they can succeed in school to the best of their ability.
The New Castle County Vocational Technical School District Office began to receive Take Care Delaware notifications from law enforcement beginning in November 2021. These notifications are sent to the school counselor, school resource officer, and assistant principal for the student. The school counselor will then send an email to the student’s teachers making them aware of the TCD Notice, and teachers will fill out a form to indicate if the student needed any interventions during the school day.
More information is available on the Take Care Delaware website.