Ojai Unified School District

Mental Health Services

Nichole Sandefur, LMFT
Mental Health Clinician/Clinical Supervisor
805.640.4343 Ext.1858

nsandefur@ojaiusd.org

If you or your student are experiencing anxiety as a result of the pandemic or other issues, we want our OUSD families to know you are not alone in this. To ensure you have the mental health resources you need, we've developed a tool for online mental health services, allowing students to schedule a time to connect with one of our counselors via Zoom. We are providing this tool free for families.

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A TIME. All meetings are confidential and provided by our school psychologists, our district mental health clinician, and our high school counselors. 

We understand that these can be difficult times for our parents and guardians, and we are sharing a new program to support you as you support your child(ren).  We are providing weekly scheduled Parent Support time facilitated by a Marriage and Family Associate/Trainee or a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.  Join weekly or as needed to ask questions and talk through challenges related to social/emotional and school success.

To participate in our weekly Parent Support Groups via Zoom, please click here for English and here for Spanish

• Bullying Harassment Form (English/Spanish)

• Bullying Prevention Presentation (June 2017)

• Bullying Prevention Powerpoint

• VC Cyber Bullying Pamphlet (English/Spanish)

• Core Rules of Netiquette

Additional Resources

• www.pacer.org/bullying

• https://www.stopbullying.gov

• www.netsmartz.org/Cyberbullying

• Children Safety Network

• Violence Prevention

• Hospice Foundation

• Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-877-727-4747

• Suicide Prevention Text Line: Text CONNECT or HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis support in the US.

• Ventura County Crisis Team 1-866-998-2243

• Suicide Prevention Protocol 

• Suicide Prevention: Facts For Parents

• Recognizing and Responding to Warning Signs

• Risk Factors for Youth Suicide

• Protective Factors

• LGBTQ Resources

• American Association of Suicidology

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

• American Psychological Association

• American School Counselor Association

• California Department of Education, Mental Health

• California Department of Health Care Services, Suicide Prevention Program

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mental Health

• National Association of School Psychologists

• National Institute for Mental Health

• Trevor Project

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Ojai Unified School District, in conjunction with generous funding from Help of Ojai, is able to provide counseling, free of charge, to students K-12th grade to address school-based issues. Counseling is provided by Marriage and Family or Social Work Associates and Trainees under the supervision of Jeanine Murphy, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist/Clinical Supervisor, on the school campus and during school hours. Referrals are made through each school’s SST (student study team). School-based counseling averages between 6 weeks and 6 months and can occur individually or in a group setting to address concerns such as:

• Self-esteem

• Peer conflicts

• Victim of bullying

• Witness to bullying

• Student who exhibits bullying behavior

• School-based anxiety

• Challenges with attention in a classroom setting

• Trauma-effecting them in the school setting

If a student exhibits challenges that may be better served in a counseling setting outside of the school, the intensity of the concerns are not appropriate to address during the school day or family therapy is recommended, the parent/guardian is given an outside referral list. If the family chooses to participate in outside of school counseling, any cost for the services are the responsibility of the family.

Transitioning back to school information:
Smoothing the transition to middle school
Smoothing the transition to high school 

Helping kids transition back to school

Additional Resources
Coping Skills
Mindfulness
Reducing Anxiety

Full OUSD Nondiscrimination Policy Here

The Governing Board is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. District programs, activities, and practices shall be free from discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information; the perception of one or more of such characteristics; or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

NO DISCRIMINACIÓN EN PROGRAMAS Y ACTIVIDADES DE DISTRITO

La Junta de Gobierno se compromete a brindar igualdad de oportunidades a todas las personas en educación. Los programas, actividades y prácticas del distrito deben estar libres de discriminación raza, color, ascendencia, origen nacional, identificación del grupo étnico, edad, religión, estado civil o Estado de los padres, discapacidad física o mental, sexo, orientación sexual, género, identidad de género o expresión, o información genética; la percepción de una o más de tales características; o asociación con una persona o grupo con uno o más de estos datos reales o percibidos características.