Centerstone continues mental health services with local public schools

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Children are growing up in a different day and age and dealing with a variety of issues at home and school.

Bullying, substance abuse, family issues, trauma and school shootings are more prevalent.

As a result, some kids experience anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, post-traumatic stress disorder or attention deficit disorder. If it goes too far and is left untreated, some consider suicide.

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Is it because of a reduction in the stigma about mental health problems? Is it because of social media and the way people communicate with each other?

Those are among the possibilities, said Megan White, director of child and family services for Centerstone.

“We have a much larger population of younger kids who are being brought to services and at younger ages,” she said. “It’s a great thing that they are coming to services. It’s really sad that we’re seeing conditions that once upon a time were not common for younger kids that now seem to be.”

As big as these problems are, public schools in Jackson County are fortunate to have trained staff members from Centerstone available to help students and their families at school and home.

The more awareness about the services and the more availability that youth and families have to access those services, the better, White said.

“The average length of time between the time the symptoms start presenting and when a person gets help is about 10 years, which is a really long time to be dealing with a mental illness on your own before you get treatment,” she said. “We’re trying to close that gap and get people services quicker. The sooner you start services, the better the prognosis is.”

Centerstone has had a presence in Brownstown, Crothersville, Medora and Seymour schools for several years.

Since Crothersville and Medora are small schools, each has a family support specialist and a therapist. With Seymour and Brownstown being larger, there are several Centerstone staff members involved.

The services picked up in Crothersville a couple of years ago after White and elementary Principal Drew Markel were in the same Leadership Jackson County class.

During the opening retreat, Markel told White he wanted more of a presence of mental health services in the school. Junior-senior high school Principal Adam Robinson also was on board with the idea and helped get the ball rolling at Crothersville.

Markel said giving students access to mental health services is extremely important.

“We got to a point last year where something had to be done. We had to have someone come in. We were really up against a wall of I had some kids that had to have some help,” he said. “When Centerstone approached us and said, ‘We have all of this,’ it was kind of stepping back, ‘Well, OK, how soon can you get here, how soon can you show up and how do I get referrals done?’”

Schools have guidance counselors, but they have a lot on their plates, including helping kids work toward graduation and setting them up for success after high school.

“The issues that some of the students are dealing with are so much beyond what they have the time and the ability to do or assist with,” White said.

“The reason why we’re in all of the public schools now is because they need the help and recognize that they can’t do it all themselves,” she said. “There’s a huge push in the legislature to get more mental health services in the school systems, so that really helped to fuel our increased involvement with all of the schools.”

Teachers and administrators also can help kids with issues, but having trained professionals on hand is a valuable resource.

Therapists can do individual or group therapy, while the family support specialists can help improve life, study, focusing, coping and social skills and learn appropriate classroom behavior.

“A lot of kids struggle in the classroom, so we’re there in the classrooms in the school buildings and helping them one-on-one in the areas where they are struggling the most,” White said. “We’re meeting with them at home and in the community, but having the school services is really important because they spend a lot of time in school, and they need a lot of support there. We help with that where they are.”

Kristen Shaw, a Centerstone therapist for Crothersville, said during an assessment, a student is evaluated and given a level of need between 1 and 5.

Falling under 1 and 2, they receive therapy. For 3 to 5, they get intensive community-based services, which includes working with a therapist and a family support specialist.

Shaw works hand in hand with Mary Jane Harsin, a family support specialist.

“She focuses on life and coping and social skills,” Shaw said of Harsin. “As a therapist, I get to the why of the behavior. I’ll do cognitive behavioral therapy, processing trauma, getting through things they’ve seen and experienced in their life.”

Harsin said she works with students up to fourth grade, and they deal with PTSD, anxiety or depression, and some have talked about suicide.

“All of the kids that I see have been affected by some sort of trauma at an early age,” she said.

Harsin said at one point, she only spent time with the kids at home. Now seeing them at school, too, is a big benefit.

“I get excited because I get to be a part of every aspect of their life. Parents get amazed that the kids will act one way at home and one way at school, so I get to address different things,” she said.

“I get to make sure that not just at home they are using the coping skills that I work with, but I can see them on the playground or I can see them working on an assignment that they are not really thrilled about but they know they need to get done,” Harsin said. “It gives them more well-rounded care.”

Shaw said their work is highly individualized for every child.

“Two kids with the same problem can have totally different ways that help them,” she said. “I take time to find those ways and help a kid learn those ways and to practice those ways.”

Shaw said she often has parents say they don’t see a difference in their child and don’t think therapy is helping after a month. The process takes time, she said.

“I always tell them that it has taken years to learn this, and it’ll take years to unlearn it,” Shaw said. “That’s something that people really don’t realize until they get into our services, that it takes time, but give them six months down the road and you will see a difference.”

Another big benefit to the schools is they don’t have to pay for Centerstone’s services. White said a majority of the kids are enrolled in a state-funded program like Medicaid, and some schools receive grant funding to help cover any costs.

Centerstone serves 19 counties, and White said those with a child services program have a presence in the schools.

“Even if it’s not a full-time basis or a majority of the time, we’re always touching base at schools whenever we can,” she said. “We really push for children’s services to get as many school-based services as we can.”

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