Collaboration Between Community Behavioral Health Providers and Schools

November 21 Symposium Agenda

Presenter Bios

Facilitating Student Access to Behavioral Health Urgent Care: Key Themes from Interim Findings of a Pilot Grant Program

Post-Meeting Evaluation Survey

Keynote Presentation

This session will describe the Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships Program, the nature and evolution of its collaboration with the Boston Public Schools, and its work at both the state and national levels. Presenters will focus on workforce development and training opportunities designed and implemented over the last decade. Key challenges and lessons learned to fostering collaborative partnerships will be discussed, as well as creative solutions and recommendations to support planning, implementation, and sustainability for the field of school behavioral health.

Presenters:

• Shella Dennery, PhD, LICSW, Director, Boston Children's Neighborhood Partnerships Program

• Sara Whitcomb, PhD, Associate Director of Research and Evaluation, Boston Children's Neighborhood Partnerships Program; Co-Director, Behavioral health Integrated Resources for Children Project (BIRCh Project)

Presentation

This session will provide an overview of the collaboration between Somerville High School and Cambridge Health Alliance that has been established through a school-based health center and the school-based urgent care pilot program. We will discuss the tailored approaches that have emerged as part of this collaboration. These include group therapy sessions focused on various topics like school avoidance/refusal, healthy relationships, and anxiety, as well as “The Comeback,” an intervention focused on students who are returning to school after suspension. Attendees will learn about these approaches and how they can be adapted to their own school and provider contexts.

Presenters:

• Vanessa Nason, LCSW, Social Worker, Cambridge Health Alliance
• Ellie Richards, PhD, Psychologist, Cambridge Health Alliance

Presentation

This presentation explores the MA Department of Public Health (DPH) funded Brookline Center School-Based Telebehavioral Health (SBTBH) Pilot, which employs a whole child approach to enhance student well-being. The SBTBH team will provide insight into the project's service delivery models, the role of the Brookline Center in serving as the lead implementation partner, and strategies for fostering connections between schools, community-based organizations, and behavioral health providers. Key outcomes, challenges, and solutions will be discussed, along with recommendations for policy and funding gaps that impact sustainability and expansion of the SBTBH pilot.

Presenters:

• Carla Azuakolam, MA, Director of School-Based Telebehavioral Health, The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health

• Bri Dewalt, CAPM, Program Manager, School-Based Telebehavioral Health, The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health

• Melanie Rice, MA, Training and Technical Assistance Specialist, School-Based Telebehavioral Health, The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health

Presentation

Family engagement is critical to helping students access and benefit from support offered by community behavioral health agencies and schools. In a pilot grant program, partnering Community Behavioral Health Centers and schools provide behavioral health urgent care to students at risk of crisis. Family support specialists and family navigators have served as a bridge to provide families with information, resources, and support to participate actively in their students’ care. In this session, family support specialists will discuss the importance of engaging families as partners in collaborations between schools and community behavioral health providers, strategies for effective family engagement, and the impact of their work.

Presenters:

• Joan Mikula, Senior Consultant, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (moderator)

• Cheryl Marino-Page, Family Partner, Riverside Community Care

• Jhianina Montes Rivera, Family Navigator, Behavioral Health Network

• Claudia Ortiz, Family Support Specialist, Cambridge Health Alliance

This session will provide an overview of school-based health centers and their role in collaborating with schools and community agencies to support the whole student. We will discuss the history of school-based health centers, what physical and behavioral health services school-based health centers provide, and the importance of school-based health centers to students and families. We will also focus on how to foster collaboration between providers and schools and community agencies, using a case study to demonstrate the connection between schools, families, and providers.

Presenters:

• David Bjorklund, LICSW, School Based Behavioral Health Lead, Hilltown Community Health Center

• Jordan G. Hampton, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC, Nurse Practitioner, Program Manager, Student Health Center at Chelsea High School

Presentation

This session will provide an overview of intensive interventions in a comprehensive school behavioral health system for students with significant behavioral health needs (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Tier 3), with a focus on the bryt model, which supports students who experience extended absences related to their behavioral health. We will discuss ways in which bryt differs from traditional partnerships by helping schools develop their own capacity to support students. Based on bryt’s successful expansion, the session will include a discussion of challenges, effective strategies, and recommendations for expanding and sustaining programs.

Presenter:

• Katherine Houle, LICSW, bryt Director of District and School Support, The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health

Presentation