SCHOOL BASED SERVICES

Mentally healthy children are more successful in school and life. Mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness but also encompasses social, emotional and behavioral health as well as the ability to cope with life’s challenges. Left unmet, mental health problems can be linked to costly negative outcomes such as academic and behavior problems, dropping out and delinquency.

Maintaining positive mental health is critical to children’s success in school as well as life. Research demonstrates that students who receive social — emotional and mental health support achieve better academically, and the North Country is no exception. School climate, classroom behavior, on-task learning, and students’ sense of being connected as well as their overall well-being improve. Our School-Based Mental Health Services program is an example of our efforts to expand services to non-traditional settings that make them more accessible to the people who need them the most. This innovative program allows our clinicians to provide mental health treatment to students in the safety of their own school. This dramatically reduces lost classroom time for the student receiving treatment. In the North Country, traveling to an outpatient setting, like a doctor’s office or clinic, could mean spending a half- or even whole-day trip for the child and parent versus a 30-minute visit for a student using our services. One of the primary goals of the program is to decrease the challenge of getting proper services and increase the consistency of treatment.

What schools are we in?

Our School-Based Mental Health Services are in every school district in the County as well as every school building, including SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College. Schools include the following:

• Arthur P. Momot Elementary School
• AuSable Forks Elementary School
• AuSable Valley Central Middle & High School
• Beekmantown Central School
• Chazy Central Rural School
• Cumberland Head Elementary School
• Keeseville Elementary School
• Mooers Elementary School
• Northeastern Clinton Central School District
• Northern Adirondack Central School
• Oak Street Elementary School
• Plattsburgh High School
• Rouses Point Elementary School
• Saranac Central School
• Seton Academy
• Stafford Middle School

Benefits

• Less time out of the classroom because students do not have to travel to appointments.
• School professionals are able to refer students for services (with parental permission).
• Shorter wait time to begin services compared to applying for services within the community.
• Improved communication between school and mental health provider.
• Better consistency and quality of care as students are seen on a regular schedule.
• Support provided to the school.

Clinic Operations

• Agreements are sought from parents/guardians that allow for school and clinic staff to work together on scheduling and ensure student participation.
• Clinical staff can work with the school to build/create interventions to encourage success.
• Agreements allow for appropriate school staff to know of scheduling of participating students.
• Clinic staff ensures confidentiality is maintained and will not share specific treatment information of any student with school
• staff or outside individual without authorized consent by family.
• Clinic services are optional and require parent/guardian permission prior to a student receiving services.
• Services are funded through health insurance benefits of participants; no direct cost for the schools.

The School-Based Services goal is to create consistent treatment, ease of access, decrease missed classroom time in school, crisis intervention, and symptom stabilization. We strive for consistency and quality of care for students, as well as improved communication between school and mental health providers.