Therapeutic Day School for Girls
For information about our day school, contact Kristin Vander Els, 781-859-1227
Germaine Lawrence offers the only Massachusetts DESE-approved special education day school exclusively for girls. Our program is clinically intensive and designed for adolescent girls in grades 7 through 12 who require a highly structured program with special therapeutic and academic supports.
Target Population
Our program best serves girls ages 12-18 with the following characteristics:
- Serious behavioral and emotional problems
- Truancy and school refusal
- Trauma history and symptoms
- Depression, suicidal and/or self-injurious behavior
- Eating disorders
- Substance abuse
- Peer conflict or poor social skills
- Step-down from hospital or residential school
- History of bullying
- Victims of bullying
Academic Services
The Germaine Lawrence day school curriculum is based on the content and skill requirements outlined in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Core subjects are supplemented by art and physical education classes.
Executive Functioning. Executive functioning skills are embedded into the curriculum to teach strategies that help students set goals, improve cognitive functioning, monitor behavior, and adapt to changing situations.
Social pragmatics and daily living skills. Students receive instruction in social pragmatics and daily living skills including nutrition, time management, and self-advocacy. In addition, yoga and other mind/body techniques are incorporated throughout the day.
45 Day Assessment Program
We provide 45 day assessments for girls in acute crisis that are designed to stabilize behavior, assess educational and clinical needs and design future programming.
Clinical Services
Cognitive/behavioral programming, including DBT, helps our students build social and emotional coping skills. A masters-level clinician provides therapy services, case management and collaboration with any outside providers. In addition, crisis management staff are available to support students as needed.
Individual therapy. Weekly individual therapy is offered. Clinicians use role-plays, skill coaching, and a directed nurturing approach to teach students concrete grounding techniques, emotion regulation strategies, and effective interpersonal skills.
Group therapy. Group therapy will also be provided. Clinicians will develop groups based on the students needs, and may include topics such as DBT skills; treatment issues identified in IEP such as school truancy, running, or other high risk behaviors; social skills; substance abuse prevention; or women’s empowerment.
Family Therapy and Support Family therapy is offered and clinicians provide on-going support, communication, feedback and skill development to families of every student.
Parents receive regular updates on their students’ academic achievement and progress towards meeting IEP goals. Homework assignments and other classroom information are posted on a password protected website.
Extended Day
Our Monday – Thursday afternoon extended day program will provide:
Academic tutoring including homework support and, when appropriate, college counseling and test prep
Social skills training, life skills coaching and other therapeutic groups
Art, music, drama, yoga and other activities
Intramural and interscholastic sports teams