Maria Kupelian

MARIA KUPELIAN is a school social worker and pupil services and attendance counselor for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Her primary interests are working with children, adolescents and families to promote academic success in a school setting. Her areas of focus within the school include homelessness, non-profit organizations, poverty, race and ethnicity challenges, child abuse, bullying, counseling, gang prevention, community partnership and school attendance.

Throughout her career, Kupelian has worked extensively with children in a variety of settings in the Los Angeles area, including schools and mental health clinics. In her current position, she provides individual, group and family counseling on issues around grief, loss, bereavement, community violence, learning disabilities, behavior, child abuse, attendance, social skills and bullying. Her responsibilities also include creating and implementing programs in schools that promote student achievement.

Kupelian has a Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPS) with a specialization in school child welfare and attendance. She has supervised more than 20 interns from graduate programs at USC; California State University, Long Beach; and Phillips Graduate Institute.