The clinical orientation of the Birchwood School is woven into its fiber in many formal and informal aspects. The teachers and clinicians communicate in regularly-scheduled meetings, where each section (elementary, intermediate and high school) meets with the clinicians and the principal for one hour a week to discuss students who are having difficulties. Through this team approach, the staff members discuss concerns and cooperatively resolve issues.

The success of the Birchwood School is related not only to a sophisticated methodology of special education techniques and clinical approaches, but also to a positive environment. The school has cheerful murals on the walls and attractive classrooms and offices. Our sensory hallway and room allow students who require more tactile stimulation to take a break and regain their focus. Unlike most schools, we encourage our students to touch the objects around them. Students and teachers eat lunch together in their classrooms in a family-type setting, which stimulates a closeness between them and reinforces positive socialization skills.

The positive school climate, which is an integral component of a school's success, is communicated by the staff members – from the principal to the custodian. Staff members are warm and caring. A human relations committee and similar groups meet regularly to address any difficulties or miscommunications. Suggestions are always welcomed, and are received with an attitude of respect and appreciation.

Acceptable behavior is clearly defined, and students who break the rules are not responded to with punitiveness, but rather with firmness and the attitude that students can learn from their mistakes and grow. Behavior modification programs are used to support the therapeutic environment.

Students and families feel safe at Birchwood and know someone is always available to help. A clinical network provides emergency clinical services on holidays and vacations. Families know that staff members are available to offer practical assistance and understanding.

What makes the program so unique is not only the high caliber of professional staff, but also some of the more subtle ingredients such as the fact that clinicians and many of the homeroom teachers have been together as a group for several years. This cooperative team approach towards students provides a maximum level of adult warmth and supportiveness.

In conclusion, the Birchwood School's program has consistently offered superior educational and therapeutic services that have enabled emotionally handicapped children to be successful after leaving the school. Students who graduated many years ago still pay periodic visits – sometimes with spouses and their own children – to demonstrate and share their successes as well as to "touch base" with adults who have been warm and supportive. These visits are the true indicators of a highly-successful, psychotherapeutic day school program.

Psychotherapy is provided at Birchwood by two full-time social workers and four psychologists. A psychiatrist is available for consultation two days a week. Each student receives individual therapy with a clinician at least once a week, and every parent is involved in some form of regular counseling. Parents are seen for counseling about once a month. Since clinicians offer early morning and evening appointments, nearly 98% of families participate in monthly counseling at Birchwood. If families are unable to physically come in, the therapists will make home visits.

Clinicians use the psychosocial, or ecosystems, approach which is based on the premise that a young person does not exist in a closed system, but rather is a microcosm within their world at-large. Most students at Birchwood have one or more of the following problems: intrafamilial difficulties, long-standing problems functioning in their previous school placements or dysfunctional relationships with their peer groups and with the community at-large.

As a result of providing intensive multidisciplinary services (i.e. special education, individual therapy and family counseling), many students have significantly improved academically, behaviorally and functionally within the family system. More than 20% of the total student population is able to be partially mainstreamed into regular public school.

Last Name	First Name	Email	Phone	Position	Department
Ajaz	Shezza	sajaz@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Backs	Matthew	mbacks@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Counselor	Guidance
Banat	Richard	rbanat@ccsd.edu		TA	Instruction
Barone	Isabella	ibarone@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Barry	Lindsay	lbarry@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Baxter	Regina	RBAXTER@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Teacher	Instruction
Blaufarb-Kinory	Julie	jblaufarb@ccsd.edu	639-6460	Teacher	Instruction
Boera	William	wboera@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Bosley	Jane	jbosley@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Buchweitz	Susan	sbuchweitz@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Counselor	Instruction
Calandra	Alexa	acalandra@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Cavallo	Lisa	lcavallo@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Cioffi	Deborah	dcioffi@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Coto	Donna	DCOTO@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Teacher	Instruction
D'Adamo	Carolyn	cdadamo@ccsd.edu		TA	Instruction
Damari	Gil	GDAMARI@ccsd.edu	639-6480	TA	Special Education
Daniello	Christina	cdaniello@ccsd.edu	639-6480	TA	Instruction
D'Aquino	Maria	mdaquino@ccsd.edu		Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Deighan	Laura	lbrennan@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Instruction
DeJong	Demaree	ddejong@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Instruction
Derderian	Michelle	mderderian@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Ferrer	Jeannette	jferrer@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Flood	Jeanne-Marie	JFLOOD@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Teacher	Special Education
Frascone	Diane	dfrascone@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Gallaway	Daniel	dgallaway@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Instruction
Gravier	Elizabeth	emorgan@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Teacher	Special Education
Greenberg	Michael	mgreenberg1@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Hoeneveld	Kathleen	khoeneveld@ccsd.edu		TA	Instruction
Hoyt	Alexandra	ahoyt@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Hurm	Ryan	rhurm@ccsd.edu		Therapist	Special Education
Jacob	Lara	ljacob@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Kiernan	James	jkiernan@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Instruction
Kimmel	Cynthia	ckimmel@ccsd.edu	624-3494	Teacher	Instruction
Madden	Deirdre	dmadden@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Marx	Jill	jmarx@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Matos	Perla	pmatos@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Metcalf	John	jmetcalf@ccsd.edu	639-6480	TA	Special Education
Meyers	Christopher	cmeyers@ccsd.edu	624-3972 x5875	Teacher	Instruction
Mirro	Lynn	lmirro@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Nashed	Ghada	gnashed@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Newell	Carolyn	cnewell@ccsd.edu	639-6480 x4114	Psychologist	Psychology
Noguera	Kyle	knoguera@ccsd.edu		TA	Instruction
Nolan	Christine	CNOLAN@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Teacher	Instruction
Palko	Amanda	apalko@ccsd.edu		Nurse	Health Services
Pille	Steven	spille@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Popilskis	Lindsay	lpopilskis@ccsd.edu	639-6480 x4110	Psychologist	Psychology
Randazzo	Ilyssa	irandazzo@ccsd.edu		TA	Instruction
Rauch	Marc	mrauch@ccsd.edu	639-6480 x4108	Psychologist	Psychology
Regalbuto	Taylor	tregalbuto@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Rothenberg	Judith	jrothenberg@ccsd.edu	639-6480	TA	Special Education
Rozycki	Steven	srozycki@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Saltzman	Randi	rsaltzman@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Clerical	Clerical
Sanchez Feroldi	Bolivia	bsanchez1@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Sandler-Morea	Sabrina	ssandler@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Slater	Lisa	lslater@ccsd.edu		Counselor	Student Assist Counselors
Slaybaugh	Jonathan	jslaybaugh@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Principal	School Administration
Sorice	Nicolas	nsorice@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Stavros	Paula	pstavros@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Testi	Deborah	dtesti@ccsd.edu	639-6480	Teacher	Special Education
Tindal	Michelle	mcandullo@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education
Trombino	Theresa	ttrombino@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Vasami	Stacy	svasami@ccsd.edu		TA	Special Education
Yanni	Joseph	jyanni@ccsd.edu	639-6480 x4109	Psychologist	Psychology
Zaris	Andrea	azaris@ccsd.edu		Teacher	Special Education