Georgetown - Edition | June 2022

2022 HEALTH CARE EDITION

Center, there is a 12-bed crisis respite unit—a time-limited facility that helps adults and children while providing relief to the primary caregiver. A typ- ical length of stay ranges from one to 10 days. Going the extra mile In some events, the Williamson County Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT, will be dispatched to calls made by deputies in the eld or the Williamson County 911 Communications Center. Lt. Frank Saenz with the Williamson County Sheri’s O¡ce said the CIT’s primary function is to see if a person meets the criteria for mandatory hos- pitalization. However, he said the CIT works to resolve mental health calls in less restrictive ways by nding a loved one to care for the person or by taking them to the BTCS respite center. According to Saenz, the CIT receives an estimate of 70 direct calls a month. “We t a lot of dierent roles; we don’t just limit ourselves to one thing, which is crisis,” Saenz said. “Anything that could use our services and exper- tise, we will be involved with.” Each member of the crisis team is

GISD MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Total referrals made in 2021-22: 321 Total School-Based Therapy sessions: 1,227 Top reasons for referrals: interpersonal, stress management and general mood

Visit with school counselor:

licensed by the state of Texas with spe- cic training in mental health, crisis intervention, rst aid and cardiopul- monary resuscitation and are licensed peace o¡cers with the Williamson County Sheri’s O¡ce. While the CIT serves unincorpo- rated areas in the county, Georgetown Police Capt. Roland Waits said the department also believes emergency detention should be the last resort. “We recognize the mental health crisis is being experienced by many,” Waits said. “Mental health calls for service are not a one-size-ts-all when it comes to placement or services Georgetown ISD students have access to a counselor at their campuses. However, for the rst time, school-level counselors could make referrals to the district to initiate School-Based Therapy with a clinical therapist hired by the district. After a referral is made, students usually participate in six to 12 SBT sessions.

Referral reviewed by GISD social- emotional team

Student meets with school- based therapist for six to 12 visits

Seek outside resources as needed

Counselor makes referral

SOURCE: GEORGETOWN ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

support is needed, the student will be made eligible for SBT and will attend six to 12 sessions. Moeller said most referrals were for seventh to 10th grade students. “All learning has an emotional component,” Moeller said. “If our job is to create experiences that prepare students to work and cooperate with the world, then we cannot fail to address the emotional undercurrent of learning.”

needed. This is why o¡cers will spend as much time as necessary to help obtain the appropriate care.” Child-focused support Georgetown ISD launched its School-Based Therapy team full time during the 2021-22 school year. Headed by Heather Moeller, GISD’s social-emotional learning and men- tal health specialist, the team had 321 referrals, resulting in 1,227 SBT sessions. Moeller said in order to be referred for SBT, a student meets with their school counselor rst. If additional

For more information, visit communityimpact.com .

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GEORGETOWN EDITION • JUNE 2022