Early support can make a lasting difference in the lives of young people and families. Bellefaire JCB’s prevention and early intervention programs bring behavioral health services, prevention education, and evidence-informed resources directly into schools and communities, helping identify concerns early, strengthen resilience, and provide support before challenges become crises.

Through school-based counseling, the Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) prevention program, and The Begun Center for Youth and Family Resiliency, Bellefaire partners with young people, families, schools, and communities to promote mental health, build skills and protective factors, and create environments where youth can thrive.

SAY – Social Advocates for Youth is a free, school-based prevention and early intervention program that supports middle and high school students across Greater Cleveland as they navigate the challenges of adolescence. Through strong partnerships with school staff, families, and community organizations, SAY helps young people reduce risky behaviors while building the skills needed to make healthy, positive choices.

The program is primarily supported by grants and foundations in order to keep costs low or free to the schools. SAY’s master’s-level social workers, counselors and psychology professionals are intentionally embedded within partner school districts, allowing for timely, accessible, and strengths-based support delivered in the environment where students feel most comfortable—at school. Beyond direct services, SAY extends its impact through leadership development and coordinated community partnerships that promote resilience, connection, and long-term well-being for youth and families.

SAY currently supports students in the following school districts:   

• Shaker Heights High School and Middle School
• Solon High School and Middle School
• Orange High School
• Chagrin Falls High School
• Cleveland Heights/University Heights Baumgardner Middle School
• Beachwood High School

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The SAY Coalition

The SAY Coalition extends prevention efforts beyond individual schools and into the broader community. Designed to strengthen families and youth through collaboration and shared expertise, the Coalition brings together schools, parents, young people, health professionals, law enforcement, judicial system partners, business leaders, elected officials, and faith and community organizations.

Through this multidisciplinary approach, the SAY Coalition offers the following programs.

SAY Student Leadership Council

• Open to any high school student interested in developing leadership skills and learning how to make healthy decisions
• Monthly meetings at Bellefaire JCB focused on teen-identified issues, volunteer engagement, and promotion of positive youth development
• Participants earn community service hours

SAY Summer Leadership Institute

• A three-week summer program for students entering grades 9–12
• Participants volunteer throughout the Cleveland area, engage in team-building and leadership development activities, hear from speakers on teen-related topics, and learn to promote positive messages among peers
• Students may earn up to 60 community service hours

SAY Collaborative

• Quarterly meetings for professionals working with youth and families across Northeast Ohio
• Participants share resources, strategies, and best practices to support healthy youth development and strong families
• Provides opportunities for partnership, collaboration, and cross-sector learning

The Begun Center for Resiliency was established in 2024 with generous funding from the Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. The Center is dedicated to reducing physical and verbal violence while strengthening resilience through education that builds essential social, emotional, and relational skills proven to support long-term well-being.

The Begun Center delivers innovative, evidence-informed violence prevention education for children, families, and the adults who support them. Grounded in best practices from mental health and prevention science, programs focus on strengthening protective factors such as emotional regulation, problem-solving, empathy, and healthy communication—skills that help young people navigate challenges safely, confidently, and successfully.

The Center’s work brings together three complementary approaches to prevention:

• Direct Services for Youth: Developmentally informed programming for preschool children ages 3–5 and students in grades 4–8 focuses on social skills, emotional awareness, resilience, and nonviolent conflict resolution. Programs launched in summer 2025 and are offered at no cost in a supportive, camp-like environment.
• Training & Support for Adults: Educators, mental health professionals, and other youth-serving adults receive practical training, consultation, and strategies to strengthen relationships, reinforce resilience, and support violence prevention across settings.
• Research & Evaluation: Ongoing research and evaluation help the Center measure impact, refine programming, and develop curricula that can be replicated, scaled, and adapted for use in other communities.

All Begun Center programs are offered at no cost to families and participants. Inclusivity, access, and cultural responsiveness are central to the Center’s mission, helping ensure that children, families, and professionals from diverse backgrounds can benefit from its prevention-focused approach.

Building Resilience Through Experience

The Begun Center translates its prevention approach into engaging, developmentally appropriate experiences where young people can build skills, practice healthy ways of responding to challenges, and strengthen connections with others. Two direct service programs bring this work to life: Resiliency Town and CORE.

Bellefaire's School-Based Counseling program delivers exceptional mental health services that support the entire school community. Our program combines evidence-based counseling with customized prevention strategies to meet the diverse emotional and behavioral needs of students.

At the heart of the program are clinically trained, licensed professionals who specialize in working with children and adolescents. These dedicated counselors provide a comprehensive range of high-quality services, including:

• Individual Psychotherapy
• Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS)
• Prevention and Early Intervention
• Consultation with School Staff and Caregivers

By embedding counselors directly in the school setting, the program eliminates common barriers to care such as transportation challenges, scheduling conflicts, financial constraints, and loss of instructional time. This model ensures greater accessibility to essential mental health services for students who may otherwise go without support.

Students benefit from:

• Personalized, trauma-informed care
• In-the-moment intervention for emotional or behavioral disruptions during the school day
• Increased advocacy and coordination among school staff, caregivers, and external providers
• Improved social-emotional readiness, helping students thrive both academically and personally

School-Based Counseling fosters a collaborative, strengths-based school culture that promotes resilience, emotional well-being, and long-term student success—setting a new standard in school-based mental health services.

Referrals to School-Based Counseling are coordinated through school sites and can be made by students, parents, guardians or school personnel. Once referral is made, our team will coordinate the intake process to obtain the information necessary to begin service.