Schools

Why School-Based Counseling?

The Mission of CPLA
The mission of Counseling Partners of Los Angeles is to serve at-risk and underserved students living in Los Angeles by providing a low-cost, school-based program that delivers essential counseling and support services students need in order to grow toward their full potential emotionally, intellectually, morally and socially.

CPLA was founded in 2012 to mitigate the critically unmet need for quality mental health care for vulnerable, disadvantaged young people of Los Angeles. Our 50 partner schools and communities work very hard to support, nurture, and help students succeed academically. Faculty and administrators often also bear the worry and burden of the mental health needs of their students. They have neither the time or expertise to do so. In addition, it is impossible to balance those at-times seemingly opposite goals. CPLA, acting as a true partner, provides full access to those
desperately needed mental health services to every student attending partner schools.
Students need access to critical mental health services more than ever to deal with the trauma stemming from the
COVID-19 crisis. A benefit of telehealth counseling is the access with parents. Since the transition to telehealth, parents
of students in counseling often requested a session for themselves and/or sought advice from the counselors on how to best help their children. We believe, that as we return to in-person counseling for the coming school year,
this will continue to be the case and we will be even more proactive in seeking out parents to
build strong connections with them and to help support them for the needs of their children and their families.

CPLA Core Values
We believe that every child deserves the right to reach their full potential.
We believe our work is defined by the characteristics, uniqueness, needs and promise of the students, families,
and school communities we serve.
We believe that our students, families and school communities are deserving of quality programs and services to
increase their chances for a bright future.
We believe in strong, collaborative partnerships that promote trust, respect, and human dignity.
We believe that our volunteer counselors are our greatest assets and act as the driving force for positive change
in our organization and in supporting our students, families, and school communities.
We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, honesty, integrity, and transparency in all that we do.

Benefits of school-based counseling services for schools, students and families include:
Counselors provide on-site screening, counseling, teacher consultation and parent support
Counselors are accessible to provide immediate crisis intervention and early intervention services for students and families
Students and parents trust counselors as partners within the school community
Parental consent is obtained prior to services, facilitated by the school
Parents don’t have to miss work, transportation issues are eliminated and students don’t have to miss school
No appointment is needed for emergencies, parental concerns and teacher/staff consultation
Allows for closer collaboration with teachers
Counselors are able to work with students experiencing greater difficulties more frequently
Counselors are able to work with families more easily and more often
Lessens stigma for students and families
Prevention programs increase competencies for youth, families and schools

Future Partner Schools

CPLA believes that every student can benefit from counseling and support services. We know that in many schools faculty and administration spend considerable time supporting students and their families when there are not counselors on staff. We would be honored to bring our affordable program to additional schools. If you would like to hear more about our work and how we can help you support your students, please contact us at (310) 459-2752.

“We are always confident that every counseling need, from day to day sessions to crisis emergencies will be handled promptly, efficiently, and professionally. Truthfully we would often be lost without the assistance of Counseling Partners of Los Angeles.”

Why School-Based Counseling?

Our Partner Schools

Future Partner Schools

- Terry Catlin, Director of Counseling at Cathedral High School

For more information on the services of CPLA, please see this informational talk we did with the Catholic Education Foundation in Spring 2021.

Coffee with CEF Presents:

Counseling Partners of Los Angeles