Today (Jan. 4), the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) and the Center for Resilience (previously known as the New Orleans Therapeutic Day Program) announced a new partnership aimed at addressing gaps in mental health supports in the city, while also implementing trauma-informed programming to New Orleans public school students in need. Currently, the Center for Resilience (the CFR) is the only day treatment program in Louisiana and offers academic and mental health services for children in Orleans Parish in grades K-8 with moderate to significant, diagnosed behavioral health disabilities. Schools refer children to the CFR who continue to struggle in a traditional school setting even after multiple school-level interventions and supports.
In New Orleans, 60 percent of children suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and are 4.5 times more likely than their peers nationwide to show signs of Serious Emotional Disturbance. The CFR responds to this severe need for behavioral and mental health interventions for children in the Greater New Orleans area by providing evidence-based, individualized mental health and educational services and placement to students whose needs cannot be met in a traditional school setting.