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Family Support Center
Family Support Center
The Family Support Center is a no fee consultation service that is available to all students and their families who reside in the Spencerport Central School District. The Family Support Center serves, supports and collaborates with families, school professionals and others to remove emotional, behavioral and interpersonal barriers to student learning, achievement and well-being.
The Family Support Center works with families in identifying, accessing, and coordinating services. The center is available to address the needs of students and families in a variety of areas:
- School attendance and achievement
- School and home behavioral problems
- Family discord
- Parent-child conflict
- Adjusting to family change
- Anxiety or stress/worry
- Depression
- Anger or violence
- Trauma, illness, or grief
- Drug/alcohol concerns
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts and actions
If you would like to make an appointment or for more information about the Center, please contact Erin Hassall directly at 349-5158. The Family Support Center is open during high school hours following the school calendar.
The Family Support Center is located in the Administration building,
Lower Level,
71 Lyell Avenue, Spencerport, New York, 14559
Erin Hassall, LMFT, RPT-S, RST is starting her seventeenth year at the Family Support Center as the full-time counselor and Services Manager. She graduated from Oswego State University in 1999 with two degrees; a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Bachelor of Art in Psychology. She then continued on to the University of Rochester and graduated in 2002 with her Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy. Erin is a New York State Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S), and a Registered Sand Therapist (RST). Erin has several years of clinical experience working with families and students in different school settings. She has experience working with all ages and problems. She is intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). She completed the University at Buffalo Trauma-Informed Care and Counseling Certificate Program, EMDR Sandtray Specialist Intensive Program with Ana Gomez, and the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma Comprehensive Certification Course on Dissociation in Children and Adolescents with Frances Waters and Renee Marks. She is a Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDR Consultant, Safe and Sound Protocol Trained and Certified through Unyte, completed Phase 1 in Brainspotting, completed Level 1 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a provider of SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), and a Level 3 Playful EMDR Master Practitioner. Erin is a Member of the Association for Play Therapy and EMDRIA. She is married and has three young adult children.
Our Services
The Spencerport CSD Family Support Center provides various services including:
* Individual and Family Therapy Consultation
* Play Therapy and Pet Therapy
* Parent Consultation
* Referral to Community Resources
* School Consultation
* Community Presentations
* Staff Workshops
* Drug and Alcohol Awareness
* Trauma, Illness, and Grief (TIG)
*Mock demostration of the mobile play therapy kit with Erin and her daughter.
Community Health Magazine Article about Play Therapy with Erin Hassall, LMFT, RPT-S
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For immediate safety concerns, such as life threatening situations or medical concerns, call 911 immediately.
Mobile Crisis Team
Mobile Crisis Team is a mobile psychiatric emergency department. Individuals/family can be seen by mental health professionals in their home, place of employment, school, etc.
585-275-8686
BrochureBrighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center
300 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester
Open 7 days a week, 12-7pm
585-275-8686UR Medicine Virtual Mental Health Urgent Care
If you can’t be seen at your clinician’s office, Virtual Mental Health Urgent Care offers fast, convenient support from anywhere. This service is not for emergencies or immediate safety concerns.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.Center for Youth Services
It is a free, confidential counseling service, including a 24-hour crisis phone line for youth seeking help.
905 Monroe Avenue, Rochester
585-271-7670 -
Tips for supporting children after a traumatic event in the news:
When there is a major news event or tragedy, your child will very likely hear about it when they go to school the next day. Inform your child of the basic facts of the event before they go to school, and especially before they hear variations from other children. Do not share graphic detail or elaborations.
- Encourage your children to talk, if they wish, and listen to their concerns.
- Answer questions truthfully and at a level appropriate to your child’s level of understanding. It is okay not to have an answer to “why it happened”.
- Make sure your child knows that they are safe, but do not give false reassurance.
- Limit exposure to media, conversations or upsetting details about the event.
- Do not share your own fears in your child’s presence.
- Check in with them again when they get home to clarify misunderstandings or rumors and answer questions.
- Check with your child’s school on how they are handling the news event and what support they are providing students. Your child’s school may put something in place with their counseling staff or they may have contacted another agency in the community to assist them.
- Familiarize yourself with the school emergency plan.
- Have a family emergency plan and practice it with your children.
- Reactions such as increased fearfulness, nightmares, or separation anxiety are not unusual and generally go away with basic support. If your child continues to show emotional or behavioral changes, contact your child’s primary care provider or a mental health professional who is experienced in helping children cope with traumatic events.
If your child develops fears or is afraid to go to school:
- Reassure them that they are safe and that there is no danger at their school, and that the event is over.
- Consider accompanying them into school for a day or two if you can.
- Alert their teacher and/or counselor that they are fearful.
- Remember – your children take their cues from you – be calm and reassuring.
Additional Resources for Caregivers and School Staff
Mindfulness and Other Calming Strategies Booklist
Managing Stress in Times of Crisis
Coping After a Traumatic Event
Helping Children and Youth Cope
After a Crisis Helping Young Children Heal
Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events
Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event
12 Ways to Help Others with Grief
Assisting Parents/Caregivers in Coping with Collective Traumas
Faculty and Staff Responding to School Violence in Elementary Schools
Faculty and Staff Responding to School Violence in Middle and High Schools
Children's Psychological Health Center Free Guided Activity Workbooks
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Are you a parent of an anxious child? Do you often modify your family routine because of your child's symptoms? Do you often find yourself doing things that would usually be your child's responsibility? Have you regularly modified your work or leisure activities because of your child's anxiety?
If you have been nodding your head yes, then this free online workshop is right for you.Erin Hassall, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor from the Spencerport Family Support Center will be offering this exclusive SPACE treatment workshop for parents with limited spots available for this upcoming 2025-2026 School Year.
SPACE is an expedition into your own parenting behavior - to help your anxious child. SPACE is a treatment program for parents developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz from the Yale Child Study Center and stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. It is focused on the only thing you have control over with your child's anxiety, YOUR behavior.
SPACE focuses on shifting parental responses to anxious childhood emotions and it has proven to be very effective in treating your child's anxiety!More information can be found on this effective program at the SPACE Treatment website, SPACE Ted Talk, or What is SPACE video with Dr. Eli Lebowitz. Research shows us that the SPACE treatment protocol is just as effective as individual cognitive behavioral therapy in treating anxious childhood emotions in children of all ages. If your child struggles with obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors, general anxiety, separation anxiety, selective mutism, social anxiety, this SPACE group can help!
The SPACE Winter 2023 Pilot Group with Erin Hassall and Jeanne Pacitto Satisfaction Survey showed:
- 100% rating of generally to definitely received the kind of service that they wanted from the SPACE group.
- 100% rating of excellent quality of service that the participants received from the SPACE group.
- 100% rating that almost all of their needs have been met by the SPACE group.
- 100% rating that if a friend needed similar help, they would definitely recommend this service to them.
- 100% rating of very satisfaction with the amount of help received.
- 100% rating that the services from the SPACE group somewhat to a great deal helped them deal more effectively with their child’s anxiety.
- 100% rating of feeling very satisfied with the service they received from the group.
- 100% definitely agreed that if they were to seek help again, they would come back to the SPACE group.
Lastly, all participants stated that they extremely agreed that Jeanne Pacitto (Munn School Counselor Co-Leader) and Erin Hassall (Family Support Center) were knowledgeable and helpful sharing the SPACE protocol, they were kind and compassionate, they responded quickly to calls and emails, and the weekly emails containing information and reminders were helpful.
For more information, please contact Erin Hassall at 349-5158
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Life can be overwhelming. Mental health, physical well-being, and social emotional learning are essential to our students, staff, families and learning community, so our districtwide mental health team has created our very own Spencerport Virtual Calming Room!
There are nine different rooms with a variety of tools and activities:- ASMR
- Sounds and Music
- Visual Relaxation
- Mindfulness and Guided Meditations
- Coloring and Drawing
- Games and Puzzles
- Live Animal Cams
- Virtual Field Trips
- Movement
- Read Alouds
- Resources
We hope you find these resources helpful and take care of yourself and each other. Click this link now and add it to your favorites: Spencerport Virtual Calming Room
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The Spencerport Family Support Center is happy to share the Mindful Moment Playlist. For those of you who are new to mindfulness, Welcome! Mindfulness is observing your thoughts without being swept away by them, empowering you to choose wise responses. These short practices are a wonderful opportunity to pause and be mindful in the moment. By stepping away from the noise and the busyness, you are truly honoring your own well-being, allowing your mind and body to rest and refresh, and also developing a greater self-awareness to your thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Being a mindful person is probably the best way to find balance. Our hope is for you to be able to find some balance as you enjoy these videos: Mindful Moment Playlist