Courtney Baldwin: 'I help them find that internal motivation to get their diploma'

Courtney Baldwin

School Social Worker

Central Coast High School

Community Day School

“I feel trusted. I feel listened to. I feel supported here,” says Central Coast High School Social Worker Courtney Baldwin.

Courtney came to California from New York after pursuing her masters degree in social work two years ago. She explored work in nutrition health, mental health, foster care, and even did a small stint at Alisal High School in the Health Corps.

At Central Coast, her big goal is to support students in working toward graduation. “I help them find that internal motivation to get their diploma and to keep coming back. It’s a lot to come to school, go to therapy in the middle of the day and unpack a lot of things, and return to math class. I admire my students who are able to do it,” she says.

 

Courtney manages a caseload of approximately 25 to 30 students at any given time. She sees her students for 50 minute weekly sessions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. She also coordinates group therapy at Community Day School once a week for 30 minutes.

Primarily the students she sees deal with challenges like anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, and even anger. She offers counseling to help them build coping skills and navigate how to de-escalate on their own. “I really want to help my students help themselves … and by the end of that (our time together) they have this toolbox of skills to de-escalate.”

The counseling she offers at CCHS is school-based and the students she works with have fallen behind on credits for one reason or another especially during the pandemic because for example, they had hard time engaging in distance learning.

What brings Courtney joy is thinking about where she and her students have been on this journey and seeing them move forward. “When I have a good session it really feels so good - when we have a breakthrough moment or when a student finds a new skill that is effective for them or when they have a win it’s exciting. Those are the good days for me,” she says.

Courtney has worked in a variety of social service settings and this is the first time she has worked at a place where mental health is a priority. “They (administration) are really supportive in recognizing that mental health is something our students are struggling with and maybe that comes first before some of the curriculum needs. If a student isn’t even able to get to school, mental health is that first step to support them in coming more often and then we’ll loop them in with math and history,” she says.

In her down time, she enjoys giving back to the community. Along with a fellow colleague, she offers a support group for MPUSD staff to engage in yoga and group talk therapy. She is also a certified yoga instructor and enjoys teaching in her own community in the Santa Cruz mountains. Courtney also enjoys camping and backpacking, and she and her partner just launched a coffee business.