This summer Corelis, coordinator of the educational therapy program, opened the Joseph Roberts Learning Center to help students in grades 2-12 with their special-education needs. At the nonprofit center, interns look to earn their educational therapy certification working one-on-one with students seeking to overcome a variety of learning disabilities.

While certificate candidates must complete an internship, Corelis says there aren't that many places where they can gain the necessary experience.

"It's quite a challenge to find a mentor out there because there aren't a lot of educational therapists," he says.

All interns have master's degrees in education, and most have worked as classroom teachers or school resource specialists. Some interns are already certified as speech therapists, marriage and family therapists or school counselors.

Corelis says the services the center provides are more well-rounded than those offered by a for-profit tutoring center. The learning center charges $50 for a 50-minute session, and clients must commit to at least 15 sessions.

"Academic tutoring is one thing, but when you bring in educational therapy skills, you're really serving the whole child," Corelis says. "It goes way beyond homework help. Tutors treat the symptoms; educational therapists treat the cause.

"If a child is struggling in the classroom for no apparent reason, it's usually a processing disorder," he adds. "Educational therapists can look at and address the underlying causes because you have to take care of that before any learning can take place."

While learning disabilities usually have more than one cause, Corelis says, it's the interns' job to find the root of each student's problem and focus on it in their sessions.

"Learning difficulties never go away," he says. "You work around them so they have less effect on a child's performance."

Tina Vascone has been bringing her 8-year-old daughter Gabrielle to the clinic since September.

"She fell in love with the first intern she worked with," Vascone says. "You want that good relationship."

Gabrielle's current intern is using a program called "Making Math Real" to help her grasp concepts she's having difficulty understanding due to a learning disability.

"Whatever it does, it works," Vascone says. "She's made significant progress. It's given her a lot of confidence, too."

Parents or teachers can refer students to the center, and staff keeps all parties involved apprised of children's progress throughout the therapy.

"We try to work very closely with schools," Corelis says. "We want to enhance what they do. We want to work within the goals the school has for the child."

Educational therapists also strive to make classroom teachers aware of how to help students with learning disabilities succeed.

"When we identify the challenge a child faces--be it auditory or visual processing or memory issues--we do want the school to know and recognize that a lot of things can be done in the classroom to help mediate the challenge," Corelis says. "As therapists, we can take an outside look at the environment and let the school know what we see."

The Joseph Roberts Learning Center is accepting clients in grades 2-12 at its clinic at the UC-Santa Cruz Extension, 19420 Bubb Road, Cupertino. For more information, contact Steven Corelis at 408.861.3825 or learningcenter@ucsc-extension.edu.