1. A Successful School and Behavioral Health Collaboration: S-Team
Rebecca Roy, LCSW- Director of County Operations
Alison Dobbs, LMHC- School Based Therapist and Team Lead
Jason Chew- North Putnam High School Principal

2. A school based vision Vision Statement
Through a broad-based community effort, students will overcome psychosocial barriers and build resiliency necessary to succeed in academic, family, and community settings.
Program Overview
As the name implies, S-Team is based on the belief that success for students with behavioral health needs is optimized when the following program components are present:  
Integrated Partnership: Through partnerships, inclusive and collaborative approach to care that actively engages family members, school personnel, health/behavioral health providers, and other involved entities.
Whole Student Approach: The treatment team addresses all relevant life arenas: education, health, behavioral and emotional health, vocational/employment, and housing and other family needs.
Clinical Best Practices Focused: The clinical service array consists of approaches and techniques that are based on the best available research evidence. A combination of individual and family based services.
Accountability: Defined outcomes measures are employed to evaluate program effectiveness as it relates to the progress of students and the satisfaction levels of families, schools, and other involved individuals.
Natural Settings: Cummins’ behavioral health professionals are housed within the schools and deliver almost all services in the school or in the home.
History of the school based model- 1980’s discussed linked services, 2004 focused school based programming, 2014 implementation of the model

3. Children’s Needs for Mental Health Care are Largely Unmet
A report by the Institute of Medicine revealed that between 14-20% of children and adolescents experience a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder each year (National Academy of Sciences, 2009). Among youth ages 8-15 years old with a diagnosable mental disorder, only about half (50.6%) received treatment in the past year (per the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Merikangas et al., 2010, as well as Green et al.,2013). Greenberg et al. (2003) found that as many as 70% of school-aged children with a diagnosable mental illness do not receive treatment Among adolescents with a mental disorder, approximately two thirds (63.8%) do not receive treatment, and half of adolescents with severly impairing mental disorders have never received mental health treatment (Merikangas et al., 2011). What are some barriers that you see that students are not getting the mental health treatment they need?

4. What do you think?
What are some reasons you see that a collaboration between educators and behavioral health clinicians are needed?

5. Children’s Needs for Mental Health vision when needs are met!
Bringing Together Schools and Families to Help Students Succeed
Behavioral Health Staff Integrated into the School
Referral Model and Outreach
Assessment and Intervention Planning
Clinical Evidence-based Practice Models
Family Engagement
Bridging the Gap during Breaks
Crisis Services
Cultural Competence
Students in Transition
Clinical Practice Oversight
Ongoing Collaboration with School and Family Partners
Professional Development and Systemic Collaboration
Successful Outcomes and Discharge
Spend a lot of time on this slid talking about how we do these things…

6. Behavioral Health Services and School Counselor Services
School-wide behavior supports
Individualized behavior plan
Referral for behavioral and emotional health services
Talk about the different role from school counselor. In addition to school processes.

7. We are in this together!
Oversight of Overall Program Performance and Working Relationship
School Corporation Administrators
Chief Operating Officer and County/Program Directors
Communication/Coordination related to Program Administration and Performance
School Principles and Gatekeepers
County/Program Directors and Team Leads
Communication and Coordination Related to Individual Student Services
Teachers, Counselors, and Other Building Personnel
Therapists and Life Skills Specialists

8. What do you think?
What are the necessary components for a successful collaboration between educators and behavioral health clinicians?

9. Preparatory Actions for a collaboration
School leaders identify a need for behavioral health services
Primary payer source is Medicaid for behavioral health services, the school does not pay for any of the services (although, we can do a separate contract for “contracted services” if the school corporation has a grant or other funding
Assessment of free/reduced lunch is an indicator of a school that would be able to support a behavioral health program
Behavioral Health leaders have the availability to hire and assign a dedicated provider within the school building
Indiana currently has a shortage of behavioral health providers
Usually this consists of a therapist and life skills specialist team

10. Initial Conversations
Program overview
Mutual needs and expectations establishment
Readiness review
Execution of agreement
School accommodations
Service delivery and office space
Office and technological accommodations
Availability of students
Unique school requirements
Spend a lot of time on this and answer questions

11. Common barriers/misconceptions about School Based programs
My students need to be in the classroom and will get behind if they miss class The school will be financially responsible if we suggest or make a referral to this program How can a student go to therapy and then come back to the classroom to learn when you bring up emotional things in therapy?

12. What do you think?
How will you start these conversations in your schools or behavioral health centers?

13. Ongoing program and outcomes!
A day in the life, outcomes observed from the perspective of a: High School Principal School Based Licensed Mental Health Counselor

14. Questions???