Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives

 

Collaborative grants and specialized funding as well as partnerships with community organizations have allowed the San Benito County Office of Education to bring districts together to hire staff that provide a variety of mental health services to students. Mental health programs are funded, in part, through several grants including the Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA), Learning Communities for School Success (LCCSP), Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program (SBHIP), and the CA Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) grant. Funding has allowed SBCOE‘s Mental Health Team to increase school-based services and increase coordination and collaboration between schools and community providers. School-based services consist of individual school based counseling, small group counseling, case management, social emotional learning classroom presentations, and wellness support.

Rural Schools Due to their size and limited budgets, San Benito County’s smallest and most rural schools have had limited access to mental health and counseling services. To increase access to these services, SBCOE collaborates with our seven smallest districts to provide a Mental Health Therapist to serve the schools on a rotating basis. During the 2022-23 school year, the Mental Health Therapist worked in conjunction with SELPA’s Mental Health Therapist to educate school staff on Social Emotional Learning and provide classroom and small group lessons to students. Initial work focused on reducing the stigma around mental health and using Tier 1 strategies to teach students about the fundamentals of social emotional learning. Additional services, including small group and individual therapy, are also available to students. These services will be expanded in 2023-24.

MHSSA As part of a coordinated effort to expand access to mental health services for children and youth on school campuses, SBCOE and the San Benito County Behavioral Health Department (SBCBH) applied for and received the MHSSA Grant. The $2.5 million grant will enables the partners to strengthen existing partnerships with schools in the county and increase the number of mental health providers.

With the addition of mental health staff in schools, the need for coordination and streamlined referral processes has also become evident. Part of the funding is being used to build collaboratives that bring together decision makers from SBCOE, SBCBH and San Benito County Districts as well as county mental health service providers who serve students on and off school campuses. The goal for both organizations is to ensure that every student who needs mental health services in San Benito County receives appropriate support based on their individual needs.

LCSSP In its third and final year of the LCSSP Grant, SBCOE continued to partner with Aromas San Juan Unified School District, Hollister Elementary School District and San Benito High School District to hire three School Social Workers to provide case management and therapy to students. Services focus on students who are chronically absent, with the the goal of developing resiliency strategies and a positive self-concept so students are successful in school. School Social Workers provide counseling and therapeutic intervention for students and families as well as training and workshops for parents and school staff. School Social Workers also conduct home visits and facilitate individual and group counseling sessions to address specific social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students. Grant activities have been instrumental in bringing students back to school and improving academic outcomes.