Child and Family Support Services
At Benchmark School, faculty and staff provide a dynamic continuum of communication and care.
Our collaborative team of teacher-mentors and professional counseling staff partner with parents to develop the whole child.
Focused on nurturing every aspect of a child’s development, Benchmark's Child and Family Support Services team provides professional guidance in helping children address the social and emotional issues that often accompany difficulties in school. Our staff of six counseling professionals who have different perspectives in approach (social workers, psychologists, and counselors) partner with teachers and parents to provide a dynamic continuum of communication and care to help them address each student’s needs.
Members of the Child and Family Support Services department are embedded within the educational team. They consult and meet with teachers regularly, teach an affective curriculum, review and educate staff and parents about students' learning profiles, meet individually with children (recommended by teachers or parents), lead small student groups and after-school clubs, attend parent conferences, and are available as a support and resource for parents.
The Child and Family Support Services team also leads House Community events and activities, created as a way to bridge younger and older students and build community together, as well as a number of parenting programs such as the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) group sessions, Understanding your Child's Learning Differences, and parenting book clubs.
I visited seven different schools to find a “fit” for my boys and no other school could come close to providing the level of social, emotional and family help that Benchmark's Child & Family Support Services does. It is something that truly sets Benchmark so far apart from the other regional LD schools and I feel it cannot be stressed enough.
Suzanne Heckendorn
Parent
Every student is known and appreciated at Benchmark. Students thrive in a calming, structured, safe learning environment where they feel understood and accepted—and able to focus on their studies.
CHILD and FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES TEAM
Adam Lemisch, Ph.D.
Licensed School Psychologist
Department Head
Mara Dixon, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist/Certified School Psychologist
Thomas Hurster, MSS, LCSW, CGP, AGPA-F
Clinical Social Worker
Rebecca Rosenstock, MSEd, LPC
Certified Elementary School Counselor
Leslie Stein, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist/Certified School Psychologist
Jenelle Tomov, MSS, LCSW
Clinical Social Worker
