School counseling could get a boost from Sween House
November 25, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
Ron Thiele, associate superintendent for the Issaquah School District, told the Sammamish City Council that school counselors have a trying workload.
The Sween House, near City Hall, will be used as a counseling center. Photo by J.B. Wogan
The good news is that the city plans to help.
The two public bodies met at City Hall Nov. 17, sharing progress reports and preparing each other for possible funding issues in the coming year.
Thiele described a troubling scenario in which counselors, funded by the districts rather than the state, have trouble effectively dealing with everyone’s problems.
The ratio, he said, was about 450 students per one counselor. Counselors are trained to deal with a range of issues including academic troubles, emotional problems, as well as drug and alcohol addiction. “They’re taxed pretty heavily,” he said.
At least for Sammamish students, there could be some outside help on the way.
Two youth counseling organizations intend to run a teen counseling center out of the renovated Sween House, located in the Lower Sammamish Commons.
School counselors could refer their students to the Sween House, rather than directing them to services off the plateau.
Bidding for the repair and update of the house would probably start in the spring of 2009, according to Jessi Richardson, parks director for the city. If all goes according to schedule, the building would open for use in January 2010.
The building’s upgrade is one of several projects slated for the second phase of construction at Lower Sammamish Commons.
The city has allocated $943,000 for changes to the north end of the park, including the relocation of the historic Freed House, a new parking lot, and a driveway into the park from 222nd Avenue Southeast. The Sween House, after its $300,000 renovation, would be about 1,800 square feet.
The two organizations in charge of the Sween House facility will be Friends of Youth and Youth Eastside Services, which currently serve Sammamish’s two school districts from locations in downtown Redmond and Issaquah.
“A lot of what we do is referrals, and if there are places close by, that’s always helpful,” Thiele said.
Councilwoman Michele Petitti said the Sween House would give Sammamish families a more convenient location for seeking help.
In addition to its primary purpose as a youth counseling center, the Sween House would host parent education classes, too, Petitti said.
For more information, e-mail Project Manager Mark Vysoky at mvysoky@ci.sammamish.wa.us.
“If there are places close by, that’s always
helpful.”
– Ron Thiele,
associate superintendent –
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, jbwogan@isspress.com.
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