Clinton schools to add mental health services - Clinton Herald

CLINTON — Amid a national conversation regarding the state of mental health care in America, new mental health services are coming to the Clinton School District.

Utilizing the services of Life Connections, full-time mental health experts will be in-house at every school building in the district for the 2019-2020 school year, allowing for more in-depth assistance for students in need.

District officials along with Alyssa Hennings, a mental health service provider for Life Connections, unveiled plans for the new program Monday night. A cost of roughly $65,000 for the year comes with the partnership, but it's a cost that Clinton School District Superintendent Gary DeLacy feels will immediately pay for itself.

"I basically challenged the different agencies in Clinton to come up with a plan and present it to me, and one agency (Life Connections) really took that to heart," DeLacy told Clinton School Board members Monday.

At Clinton High School, one licensed therapist will be on hand two days per week, assisting 10 to 15 students per week, according to district-provided information. Each personal session will last about 45 minutes.

At Clinton Middle School, a licensed therapist will be on site providing not only support to students but to also train CMS staff in mental health first aid, family systems intervention and de-escalation techniques. The therapist also will aid in de-escalation situations. The CMS therapist will be in the building Monday through Thursday and every other Friday, according to the district, serving 20 to 23 students per week for approximately 45 minutes per student.

Bluff and Jefferson elementary schools will employ a similar model as CMS, with one licensed professional per building, in-house Monday through Thursday and every other Friday, serving 20 to 23 students per week.

Minor changes at Whittier and Eagle Heights elementary schools will see the therapist serve 16-20 students per week in-house Monday through Thursday each week.

Though mental health professionals at elementary schools might seem unusual to some, the experts have found a good reason for the initiative.

"What we know about mental health treatment is that early intervention is best," Life Connections' Hennings said Monday. "What you're looking at with this proposal is that you'll notice that we have every elementary school staffed. The reason we do that is that we know that early intervention can help kids in terms of mental health, and keep them out of trouble, stay in school longer, and overall lead healthier and happier lives."

http://bit.ly/2MHasdV