Montcalm School Names Wing Director of Counseling

Montcalm School for Boys and Girls, a private, therapeutic boarding school located in Albion, MI, has named Kevin Wing the Director of Counseling Services.

Wing will officially assume his new role July 15.

Wing comes to Montcalm School from Starr Commonwealth, where he has spent 22 years in various roles. Most recently, Wing was Intake Director for Starr's residential programs in Albion, but he has also served as an outpatient therapist and an intensive in-home counselor working with children and adolescents.

He graduated from Central Michigan University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in social work. Wing continued his education at Michigan State University, where he earned a master's degree in social work in 1984. He is also a licensed social worker through the State of Michigan.

"I've always had a passion for working with kids," Wing said. "I've been trained as a therapist and was very interested in getting back into that role and having direct therapeutic contact with children. It will be exciting to see the individual counseling program grow as Montcalm continues to expand."

A program of Starr Commonwealth, Montcalm School is looking to increase the availability of individual counseling for all students. This portion of the therapy process functions in concert with Montcalm's traditional model of group and family therapy.

"This is a great opportunity to work with kids of all backgrounds," Wing said. "The diversity is great, both experientially and geographically. That was a huge draw for me."

Montcalm School works with boys, ages 12-21, and girls, ages 12-18, offering a traditional therapeutic boarding school program for boys and girls that helps students get back on track emotionally and academically, a structured transitional living program for boys aimed at building life skills, and Outside In, a program for boys with autism spectrum disorders.

The goal is to make individual counseling a key component to all of the programs at the school.

"Individual therapy gives the students a chance to develop a relationship and a sense of trust," Wing said.

"Many of these students have been traumatized and believe that they cannot share their experiences for fear of ridicule by others. Experiencing that they can share this information with someone and still have that person value them as an individual is at times the most powerful component of our intervention.

"Our goal is to prepare these kids for their return home by developing appropriate coping mechanisms and decision-making skills. We want to equip them with tools they'll need to take the next step in their lives."

Montcalm School is a private, therapeutic treatment and educational program offering a variety of options for families with troubled teens and young adults. Montcalm specializes in youth with Autistic Spectrum Disorders such as Asperger's Syndrome and other Pervasive Development Disorders.