Three licensed mental health counselors work full-time inside Scarsdale Middle School, and their services cost families nothing.

The counselors are Youth Outreach Workers employed by Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service (SFCS), a nonprofit that places clinicians in Scarsdale's schools. SFCS runs the program, called the Youth Services Project, at both the middle and high schools.

It expanded into the district's elementary schools roughly three years ago, according to a Sept. 25 interview published by Scarsdale10583.com. The interview was written by Maggie Xie, a Scarsdale resident and SFCS board member.

Liza Fahey, a licensed social worker and one of the three middle school counselors, described how the program works day to day. She meets with students individually or in small groups on a flexible schedule. Sessions happen weekly, biweekly or monthly depending on each student's needs. Students are pulled only from non-academic periods like PE, music, electives, lunch or before and after school. They never miss class.

Fahey's office sits on the first floor, where several of the school's houses meet. Referrals come from house counselors, parents and teachers. With a family's permission, she stays in contact with a student's house counselor and teachers. She also attends 504 plan and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings for students on her caseload to advocate for their needs.

Anxiety tied to perfectionism is the most common challenge Fahey sees. She described sixth graders who already worry that a single B could hurt their college chances. "I know what the lunchroom's like — an outside therapist might not," Fahey said, explaining why an embedded counselor can see a fuller picture of a student's daily life.

Beyond individual counseling, Fahey co-leads a student leadership club called LEAD with a house counselor. SFCS also runs parent support groups for every grade, sixth through twelfth. A specialty group called "Beyond the Basics" serves parents of children with learning differences, covering topics like navigating an IEP.

Families can reach SFCS at (914) 723-3281.