Board hears update on USD 457 mental health pilot program
The Garden City TelegramFeb 06, 2019
Last year,
"It costs a lot, but the whole focus is will the benefits truly pay off on decreasing drop-out rate, increasing graduation rate ... Right now (it is) this year, but we keep getting hints that pending funding, we might get another year," Scott said.
In
The program, active for the 2018-19 school year, brings four therapists to the schools on certain days to provide private, on-site counseling for selected students. Those students are primarily children in need of care, including foster children, but also those with behavioral issues, said
Nine case managers assigned to certain students also may hold sessions during school, though Compass also did this before the program, said Compass Regional Director
As of this week,
Partially because of the district's size and existing relationship with Compass,
One of the selected districts, Wichita
Other districts have not yet hired clinicians or seen students, Garcia said.
As for local results, liaisons have been reviewing reports, checking in with teachers and observing classrooms to see if students are responding to the treatment, Stucky said. The process is slow, she said, but there has been progress.
"A lot of teachers we've noticed there's less attention-seeking behaviors. They're using some of those coping skills. So, there's little hints here and there, but not that huge before and after," Stucky said.
The program was effective from a mental health standpoint because it broke down barriers to access, Garcia said.
Teachers can help Compass staff identify and treat students that they might not have seen otherwise, parents can learn about benefits of counseling they may have not considered before and stigmas surrounding mental health can be slowly dismantled, Garcia said. Plus, students can receive helpful care without missing too much class.
And teachers have worked with therapists, too, asking for new ways to work with certain students, Stucky and Garcia said.
"What I really appreciate is the school staff's willingness to be a part of it and learn. They want feedback from Compass on how they can better help students," Stucky said.
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