MCSD proactive in dealing with student mental health issues

In the past 30 days, on how many days have you felt sad or withdrawn?

In the past 30 days, on how many days have you experienced mood swings that have caused problems in relationships?

In the past 30 days, on how many days have you experienced severely out-of-control behavior that could hurt yourself or others?

At first glance, the questions may seem like a screening process at a doctor’s office. But they are part of a Georgia Student Health Survey given to students, grades 6 to 12, in the Muscogee County School District for mental illness early detection and intervention. The survey also asks students about school connectedness, peer pressure, adult social support, cultural acceptance, school safety, substance abuse and other issues.

The program, called Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education), is funded through a federal grant awarded to the Georgia Department of Education by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In Georgia, MCSD is one of three districts chosen as pilots for the program that educators hope to eventually implement statewide.

“The purpose of Georgia Project AWARE is to increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; provide training in Youth Mental Health First Aid,” according to the Georgia Department of Education website, “and connect children, youth, and families who may have behavioral health issues with appropriate services.”

At a recent summit convened by the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, MCSD Superintendent David Lewis said mental illness is a growing problem throughout the district.

“It is scary, some of the situations that we see coming,” he said. “And this is from all demographic backgrounds. It’s not just black, it’s not just white, and it’s not just poverty. We’re seeing an uptick in mental health-related issues. And Project AWARE is in place, not only to deal with the students, but also to provide support and resources that parents can access to try and deal with those challenges.”

Nationally, about 21 percent of youths ages 13 to 18 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their lifetime, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For children ages 8–15, the estimate is 13 percent.

“Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24,” according to information on the NAMI website. “Despite effective treatment, there are long delays — sometimes decades — between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.”

Tammi Clarke is director of the MCSD Project AWARE initiative, which has been receiving a little over $400,000 annually for the five-year project. She said the district is already two years into the program.

“It’s called ‘upstream prevention,’ ” she said. “You don’t want to be reactive and wait until children are in crisis, you want to identify their needs early on and get them the help that they need so it doesn’t eventually become something that turns into a crisis, whether it’s a suicidal ideation, or other signs and symbols, like self-harm, cutting, and things like that.”

“We want to as early as possible catch kids, get them the help they need, get them access to help,” she said. “And that’s what our goal is.”

So far this year, about 1,180 elementary and 796 middle and high school students have been screened, Clarke said. Local schools participating in the program are Dimon Elementary School, South Columbus Elementary School, Wynnton Arts Academy, Double Churches Middle School, Richards Middle School and Early College Academy.

Clarke, who also directs the district’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program, said the pilot schools were chosen because they have effectively implemented PBIS, which indicates a readiness and supportive environment for helping children with mental and emotional needs.

She said children are screened for both “internalizing” and “externalizing” behaviors. Internalizing might be detected in a student who is quiet and not making friends.

“Those kids fly under the radar, so those kids are the ones the screening helps identify the most,” she said. “The externalizing kids are the ones that are getting the behavior referrals to the office. Those are the ones we know about.

“Overall, what we found is that the elementary level schools, they have more of the externalizing, and when they move to the middle school and high school there’s a lot of internalizing,” she said.

Clarke said Project AWARE will begin working with preschoolers next year through a partnership with Project LAUNCH, a program that focuses on the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development of children birth to 8 years old.

Project AWARE also includes a monthly, eight-hour, training course to help adults detect signs of mental illness and intervene when necessary. Clarke said the classes are free and open to anyone 18 years and older. The district has already trained adults at the Boys and Girls Club, Teen Advisors, Girls Scouts of America, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and other organizations. Parents have also been certified.

On Thursday, a class was held at the Citizens Service Center, attracting 16 people. Participants learned about anxiety, depression, mood disorders, as well as other mental illnesses prevalent among adolescents. They also participated in activities that allowed them to share observations based on their personal interactions with young people.

Clarke, who served as one of the instructors, said the course has a 30-person capacity, and it’s already full for February.

“It’s very similar to like when you go to a course to become First Aid certified,” she said. “We have mental health First Aid. You get a free certification with it and it can be renewed after that.”

Project AWARE also equips schools with a social-emotional learning curriculum, and it aims to spread awareness and decrease the stigma associated with mental illness, Clarke said. She said the program is still in the development stages and administrators want to get it right before expanding it districtwide.

“The end goal is to have every child in this district screened,” she said. “And what we would do, is we screen them twice a year — once at the beginning of the year, and once after the holiday.”

Clarke said the district doesn’t know how many children suffer from mental illness, because HIPAA laws prohibit officials from accessing medical information unless provided by a parent. But officials are aware of the NAMI statistics, which indicate that one in five children will experience some form of mental illness.

“Often times they won’t get help for eight to 10 years,” she said. “So as an educational agency, it’s the perfect place for us to train adults to identify signs and symptoms and train them also how to get help for kids who show signs and symptoms of mental illness.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "MCSD proactive in dealing with student mental health issues."