Save our Students

An update of SOS!

Julie Waters, Executive Director of Save Our Students (SOS), with help from staff and students, provided an overview of the services provided by SOS and its history, accomplishments and goals for the future.  Rescue, Rebuild, Stabilize and Strengthen are the four pillars that drive SOS trainings, counseling and justice representation outreach.

Some of the statistics that support the comprehensive services SOS delivers to our community are:  counseling and education for 155 parents, 165 teachers and 350 college students.  SOS also responded to police calls to assess mental health on scene.  An estimated 1,820 assessments were provided last year.

Victims of the recent fires who found refuge in shelters throughout the county also were provided with special mental health services for five to six weeks. Needs for this type of counseling are expected to increase over the next year. 

SOS services are extended by associates and trainees working on their masters degrees, under the direction of three clinical supervisors.  Services that would cost an average of $250 per session are provided on a sliding scale according to ability to pay.  Support from Rotary Clubs help to make this possible.

Peer leadership groups created by high school students working with two to three middle and elementary schools, this year, also bring awareness of LGBTQ issues to younger students in small groups that are non-threatening.  

Flash Welch, manager of counseling at Rohnert Park/Cotati High School, advised that students showing up for classes are dealing with so many life issues that they are unable to do their school work.  Counseling services focus on awareness of stress, including anxiety and depression, and how to overcome these challenges, as well as education on mental illness.  He also seeks to provide a protective space for youth who are struggling with gender identity as well as information to help destigmatize mental illness.

Truly a GREAT organization providing badly needed services to those in need!