Wellness Center

What goes on in the Wellness Center?

A wide variety of events and services take place in the Wellness Center, and a few satellite spaces around the school; including clubs, therapeutic groups, and individual case management and school-based counseling and therapy provided by a range of educators and clinicians including the SSW, interns, CBO’s and outside providers.

How do students access the Wellness Center and programs?

Lots of different ways! Students are mostly referred to the Wellness Center and this happens in a variety of ways. Some students refer themselves to, or are having a hard day and a teacher or other school staff will introduce them to the Wellness Center. Often students will be referred after a request for support is made by a parent, a teacher, counselor or administrator, or from a student-centered meeting such as a Parent-Teacher Conference or SST. Sometimes even elementary school staff will refer an incoming 6th grader for support.

What Clubs take place under the umbrella of Wellness?

  • Rainbow Penguins! with Mx. Yee
  • Booker T Washington Girls and Boys groups: Sign up early in the year for these groups as room fills up fast!  These groups take place during lunch and also include after school and weekend activities facilitated by the Booker T Washington Community Center!
  • Black Student Union and Cultural Diversity Group: Also facilitated by the Booker T Washington Community Center, this group studies and celebrates African American History and other cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
  • Games Club: drop in with Ms. Swanger and Co. during lunch time most days of the week for an indoor space to hang out, play games, do homework, and socialize during lunch.

What are groups and what groups exist?

Groups take Wellness a step further from clubs. Typically they take place during students’ elective periods and will occur with the same cohort of students for a particular time span.  Groups at Marina Middle School include and are not limited to:
  • Project Arrive: An activity-based mentoring program for incoming 6th graders to support students’ transition into middle school. This group meets once a week during elective period for 10 weeks (sometimes year long, depending on logistic availability and participation) and is co-facilitated by two adult mentors (usually Wellness and Beacon staff).
  • Mentor For Success: A 1:1 model mentor program where school staff and community members become mentors and take on student-mentees for a long-term relationship. The pair meets one time per week, and once monthly all mentors and mentees come together for an activity or party. Learn more here
  • CBITS: CBITS is an evidence-based school intervention for relieving symptoms of traumatic stress. Many people, including youth, have experiences that are overwhelming and difficult to process and are carried with them in variety of ways. This 10-week group addresses those experiences, retrains the brain, and increases healthy coping skills.
  • Girl/Boys Support Groups: Therapeutic counseling groups focused on social emotional skill building - Facilitated by Westside Community Service Center.
  • Lyric Q Group: Confidential therapeutic group for LGBTQIA+ students

Who else provides services for Wellness?

We work with a wide variety of amazing community partners to enhance our services and programs at Marina.  Some of those awesome partners include:
  • Lavender Youth Services
  • Community Youth Center (CYC)
  • Booker T Washington Community Center
  • Westside Community Service Center
  • Chinatown Children’s Development Center
  • Marina Counseling Center
  • Huckleberry Youth Services
  • Homeless Children’s Network

This page was last updated on September 3, 2021