School Partnerships

(Widely available in Ohio.  Limited availability on a case by case basis in other US states.)

 Omphalos engages a three-pillar approach to addressing child sex trafficking and exploitation. At the heart of the third pillar, nurture, is the Resilience and Empowerment Program. This program seeks to provide the child, their caregivers, and the adults charged with supporting the child across other domains of their life (such as teachers, therapists, mentors, etc.) with a clear understanding of the psychological, social, emotional, and physical impact of the child’s experiences. Such a thorough shared understanding of the individual child’s unique needs and strengths enables adults to more effectively support the child’s areas for growth, while nurturing pre-existing resilience and strength.

For schools or districts choosing to partner with Omphalos in this program, this approach saves time and resources, while also increasing the likelihood of the child engaging in, and completing, their academic career. Our assessor, both a psychologist and a past special education teacher, seeks to not only assess a student holistically, but to also understand the school environment, how the student navigates the school day, and what accommodations the school may be able to provide.

Participation in the Resilience and Empowerment program, with school partnership, begins with a thorough biopsychosocial assessment completed by a doctoral level psychologist. This assessment is meant to gain a snapshot of the student holistically, determining not only ability and achievement levels, but also engaging in measures related to personality, behaviors, and thought patterns. The assessor will work closely with the student’s family, existing therapists, and the student’s teachers. Omphalos prefers to engage in not only rating scales, but in direct communication with teachers who work with the student, as well as with learning specialists, to determine the resources available through the school setting. School psychologists and community agencies are unable to provide such thorough assessments, while insurance seldom covers all costs for families (for context: such assessments in the private sector can cost families thousands of dollars out of pocket). In recent years, waitlists for similar assessments have risen to over 12 months.

The final result of participation in this program is an individualized Resilience and Empowerment Plan that explains the child’s strengths and areas for growth, the impact of any traumatic experiences on the child’s functioning, and a variety of recommendations to best support the child as they heal and grow. These recommendations will be informed by consultation with school staff and current therapists to ensure recommendations are not only beneficial, but also practical, for those adults working closely with the student. A feedback session will be available for youth and their caregivers, allowing for discussion and space to process results.

Through the school partnership program, the assessor will also be available to discuss results with other support people in the child’s life, such as teachers and outside therapists. Additionally, through the school partnership program, ongoing consultation will be available, as will follow up assessment, as needed, for three years or the length of the student’s tenure in that school setting, whichever occurs first.

Student Qualifications for this Program: a history of exploitation, a history of abuse, and/or 2 or more ACE’s or 3 OR more risk factors for experiencing ACE’s. (A List of ACE’s can be found here).

Cost: The first student assessed in your school/district is free of cost. This allows you to determine the extent to which this program benefits your school and your students. These costs are covered by kind donations to Omphalos.

Every student who qualifies for the program after the first will fall under the very discounted rate of $3,000 per student. Students requiring longer than the three-year follow up limit, may be ‘re-upped’ in the program for $1500 per every three years. This allows re-assessments and continuing consultation to occur as needed throughout a student’s tenure in your school district.

*Student who do not qualify may be given similar supports through our partner program; however, costs may be higher.

**We are open to a more in depth partnership that allows testing for all youth in need.  See also our Resilience Reset screening program.**

Contact our Clinical Director, Ashley E. Poklar, PhD, at AshleyP@omphalos.pro for more information or a free consultation call.