The Harlem Family Institute provides clinical experience in affiliated inner-city schools and clinics. HFI’s founding purpose included the provision of care in Harlem communities in which quality long-term psychotherapy services were often unavailable. Hence, in-neighborhood schools and other placement sites were chosen. Our collaborating placement sites are listed below.

CENTRAL PARK EAST I:

Central Park East I's educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that children must be valued for the experiences, language, and culture they bring to the school. The mission of the school is to facilitate learning by providing every child with materials, experiences, and support services that will enable her/him to experience academic, social, and emotional success. Families, teachers, service providers, and community-based collaborators work together to ensure that all children feel competent and confident about their work. This school's commitment is to an inclusive approach, cross-age groupings, learning-by-doing, and the use of an integrated curriculum driven by children's interests and abilities.

» Back to top of page

RIVER EAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The staff at River East believes that children are the center of the school. The school offers each family a high-quality, child-centered, progressive educational program. River East views parents as the most important teachers children will ever have. Believing that success in school must include a cooperative relationship between home and school, River East encourages parent collaboration. The school provides multiple entry points for family involvement.

River East also features a full inclusion program with support services within the child’s classroom. Multi-age/grade heterogeneously grouped classrooms support curriculum development, which is appropriate to each child. Instructional approaches vary and a great deal of attention is paid to students' individual learning styles.

The staff at River East believes that children learn best in a safe environment where they are free to take risks, and to practice individual decision-making. The school aspires to be a democratic community that assesses its interventions, and the staff is expected to provide a model of collaborative planning and decision-making.

» Back to top of page.

St Aloysius and Gonzaga Middle School for Boys

St. Aloysius is an Archdiocesan Jesuit school created to address the educational and spiritual needs of children in Harlem. Its primary purpose is to develop in its students the character, strength and skills necessary to succeed academically and to prepare to enter New York City’s finest high schools. To achieve this purpose, St. Aloysius is committed to providing an exceptional curriculum which responds directly to the needs of inner-city students and their families. St. Aloysius promotes personal responsibility and a strong sense of community in an environment that is both supportive and demanding of its student body. Its athletic, co-curricular, summer school and camp programs and family support systems reinforce the academic experience at St. Aloysius.

Here are some comments by a student taken from the school's brochure:

"I was eleven when I enrolled at St. Aloysius. Finally I had found a place filled with positive, caring adults who really seemed to care about me. The teacher talked to me about a place called 'college' and I desperately wanted to go there!"

"In addition to helping me set an educational goal, St. Aloysius put some fun into my life. I joined the basketball and track teams, went to Broadway plays, learned how to find novels in the library that I could read just for fun, went camping, horseback riding, and went to dozens of museums in the city."

» Back to top of page

THE HELEN B. ATKINSON CENTER

For candidates whose work schedules do not allow them to complete their clinical requirements in schools, we have affiliated with the Helen B. Atkinson Center on West 115th Street. Named after a local community leader, this center is one of 13 (each with a different name) under the auspices of The Community Healthcare Network (CHN). The mission of CHN is to provide access to primary care and comprehensive community-based mental health services for people in underserved communities.

The Director of the Atkinson Center, Angela Rita, C.S.W., is presently (2003) a candidate at HFI. Her energy and enthusiasm for therapeutic work with children have established a highly satisfying training situation for our candidates. Plans for expansion are being considered, not only for the benefit of HFI candidates, but also as a service that Atkinson can provide the Harlem community.

» Back to top of page