Counseling FAQ

If you are concerned that your student might be in need of Mental Health Counseling services, and you work in the Esparto or Winters school district, you can speak with your  on-site Counselor or acting Principal and request a referral to our RISE services. Students enrolled at Sci-Tech Academy in Knights Landing can also be referred through their on-site Counselor or acting Principal. Once requested, the Counselor/Principal at your respective site will commence the referral process for your student.

If you are concerned that your child might be in need of Mental Health Counseling services, and you live in Esparto, Madison, Winters or Knights Landing, you can speak with your child's acting Principal or Counselor, and request a referral to our RISE services. 

The length of time to be connected to a therapist depends on the need of the child, teen or adult, and the availability of RISE counseling staff. Typically, after a referral is received, it can take anywhere between 1-3 weeks to begin counseling. 

Counseling sessions can range anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour depending on location and age of client. 

One of the main differences between a school counselor and a RISE mental health counselor is that school counselors' work consists of a wider range of students needs. School counselors support students in the areas of academics, career preparation, and mental health. RISE mental health counselors training and work is dedicated exclusively to mental health support. This may include case management around mental health, medication management and collaboration with school staff. 

In schools, Behavioral Specialists create plans to manage behaviors that affect a student's learning. Behaviorsts' support students by suggesting changes to external or environmental causes of behavior. A mental health counselor differs from a behavior specialist in that Counselors work to address the psychological, or internal needs that may be causing problem behaviors.

Adults who have Beacon Health Plan Partnership or Kaiser Beacon may call our offices and requst to speak with the Access and Linkage Specialist to begin the referral process. Adults can call the RISE Esparto office at (530)787-4110 or the RISE Winters office at (530)794-6000