School Social Worker  

Tara Nichol, M.Ed., MSW, LSWAIC 

School Social Worker, Tara Nichol, works with students Kindergarten through Fifth Grade to support their social and emotional growth in the classroom, group and individual settings. The school social worker helps families access academic support, including coordinating student intervention team (SIT) meetings with parents and school staff.  

Social Emotional Curriculum 

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and RULER (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions): Sand Point teachers and staff are regularly teaching and reinforcing emotional and social awareness with our students using RULER in addition to other materials including Second Steps Curriculum and Skills Streaming.  

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is guided by three principles which are developmental appropriateness, cultural responsiveness and universal design.  SEL helps students to have a sense of belonging at school. This is done through creating an environment and structures that emphasis and values healthy, safe, supported, challenged and engaged students.  

Social Worker Tara Nichol collaborates and co-teachers with the K-5 teachers on SEL lessons that cover three domains: 

Academic Development 

• Executive functioning skills. 
• Organizational skills. 
• Self-management skills.  
• Strategies that can benefit cognitive thinking and memory skills. 

Social-Emotional Development 

• Understanding how the brain works. 
• Mindfulness. 
• Self-Awareness through Exploring feelings and our thoughts, body actions, sensations. 
• Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions. 
• Restorative Practices and Conflict Resolution. 

Career Development 

• Creating connections to the places we live. 
• Self-interests explorations through identifying students interests and careers. 
• Helping students understand the path to reach their goals. 
• Exposure to different types of colleges, post-secondary options and different types of careers. 

Small Groups and Individual Check-Ins  

Sand Point Elementary offers small groups and individual check-ins for students who need support in social and emotional development. The School Social Worker can also help connect youth with resources in our community or with the school’s family support worker for referrals for outpatient therapy, housing, food and finances, family stress or violence, self-harm and suicidal thinking.  

Below you’ll find a list of outside agencies and play groups, if you believe your child would benefit from an outside therapist. 

Community Resource List 

Please note that this is a resource list and none of the providers are affiliated with or endorsed by SPS. 

NE Seattle Counselors and Psychologists 

Children’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Outpatient Clinic 
Seattle Childrens, Sand Point location 
206-987-2164 
Accepts Medicaid, Apple 
(Also try Children’s Overlake location, sometimes less wait) 

Ryther Child Institute 
Ryther  
Main: 206-525-5050 
Lake City location 
Accepts Medicaid, Apple 

ABCD 
Multidisciplinary Practice for Child Behavior/Development 
ABSD Seattle 
James Baldwin location 
206-3616-884 

Seattle Psychology 
206-420-4701 
Seattle Psychology, Wallingford location 

Sound Mental Health 
James Baldwin Location 
206-302-1900 
Sound Mental Health 
Accepts Medicaid, Apple 

Community Psychiatric Clinic 

Community Psychiatrics 
206-461-4544 
James Baldwin, Lake City and Wallingford locations 
Accepts Apple, Medicaid 

University of Washington Psychotherapy Clinic 
University if Washington Psychotherapy Clinic, University District location 
Provides mental health services to children, adults and families 
2nd Year PhD Graduate Students 
Affordable Sliding Scale 
206-543-6511 

Center for Human Services 
Center for Human Service, Shoreline location 
206-362-7282 
Accepts Apple, Medicaid 

Emergency Contacts 

If you are in need of help and it is after school hours, please use the following resources 

Crisis Line: 206-461-3222 

Child Protective/Family Reconciliation Services: 
Day: 1-800-609-8764 
Night: 1-800-562-5624 

Other Types of Assistance Such as Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Healthcare: 
Dial: 211 or 206-461-3200 

Police Department Emergency : Dial 911 

On left side of Page 

Department Contact  

Tara Nichol 

206-252-4648 

tenichol@seattleschools.org 

Office Hours  

Monday-Friday 7:25-2:55