Social Emotional Counselors

Child Development Department Social Emotional Services:

The PVUSD Child Development Department offers social emotional services to children enrolled in the State Preschool Programs and Family Child Care Home Network. The role of an early childhood social-emotional counselor is to provide supportive services to the children and families in our programs related to self-expression, understanding thoughts and feelings, social skills and overall emotional well-being in the classroom and childcare setting.

How do social emotional counselors support young students?

Social emotional counselors work in partnership with teachers, childcare providers, and families to effectively support the social and emotional development of all young students in the preschool centers and family child care homes. Staff utilize the Teaching Pyramid framework to build young children’s social emotional skills, prevent challenging behaviors, and reduce problem behaviors.

Some of the activities that social-emotional counselors do:

Provide information on social and emotional development
Coordinate Ages and Stages developmental screenings
Conduct behavioral observations
Coach staff and parents on effective behavioral strategies
Support behavioral plans
Link families to additional community resources

Our Counselors

Mireya Reyna is a bilingual Spanish and English licensed marriage, family and child therapist. Mireya has been providing supportive service to children and their families for about eight years in the Watsonville Community. Mireya is trained in Theraplay, sand tray modality, CBT-Trauma focused with children and incorporates parent education to support families. Mireya primarily works with the children, families, and staff in the State Preschool Centers in our program.

Brenda Brenda Renteria is a bilingual Spanish and English licensed marriage, family and child therapist with eight years experience working as a mental health clinician with children under the age of six. Brenda is endorsed as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist by the California Center for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health. Brenda primarily works with children, families, and providers in the Family Child Care Home Network, as well as the Infant Development Center at Watsonville High School.