2022 HEALTH CARE EDITION
Destigmatizing treatment More and more people are seeking care for mental health, although there is still a stigma associated with it. Men- tal health ocials agree the shame surrounding receiving care for mental illnesses should be eliminated. “The rst thing we can do is knock out the stigma,” Richardson said. “Mental wellness is the same thing as physical wellness; you can’t have one without the other.” LISD has received positive feedback from families and students regarding the outcomes of its team’s services. The mindset about mental health is shifting, and more people are asking for and receiving treatment every year, Miller said. “I think it needs to continue to shift,” she said. “That’s the biggest thing the community ... can do is really learn about mental health, learn about how to access care for those around you and how to notice when someone is needing support.”
tailored and individualized for the stu- dent’s specic needs. In order for the team to provide clinical therapy ses- sions to students under the age of 18, parents must consent. The district also implemented Men- tal Health Minutes, which is a short video series about topics related to mental health, such as stress and navi- gating friendships. Furthermore, LISD partners with the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program, or TCHATT, through Dell Children’s Medical Cen- ter. This program works with Texas hospitals to oer mental health ser- vices, or tele-psych services, to school districts. LISD was one of the rst two districts to sign on two and a half years ago, Clark said. Haley Simmons, a licensed clinical social worker on the team, said the main focus of the team is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and that it is important to get help. “The more we can talk about [men- tal health], the more we can talk about getting help and normalize it, the bet- ter, and I think that’s what we all try to do each and every day,” she said.
Getting Connected
Bluebonnet Trails Community Services provides a variety of services including behavioral health services, substance use services, an Early Childhood Intervention program, an Intellectual Developmental Disabilities program and family health care. Location: 1401 Medical Parkway, Bldg. C, Ste. 300, Cedar Park
Clinic number: 844-309-6385 Crisis hotline: 800-841-1255 Website: https://bbtrails.org/cedar-park SOURCE: BLUEBONNET TRAILS COMMUNITY SERVICESCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
local resources as possible for people to receive the care they need. “[I want to keep] continuing to iden- tify the gaps, working collaboratively with the hospitals, law enforcement, everybody in the system, all the way around, to try to think of ways we can be creative and get more local
mental health, specically the district’s student and family support team. The team includes 15 licensed clinical social workers, licensed pro- fessional counselors and a licensed marriage family therapist. For LISD students, school counselors are typi- cally the rst point of contact for men- tal health needs, and the counselors can make a referral to an outside pro- vider or someone from the team. This year, the district has had over 1,100 referrals to the team, Director of Coun- seling Services Steve Clark said. The team oers free, in-school therapy for students in elementary through high school. The sessions are
resources,” she said. Caring for students
Another stakeholder addressing mental health care is Leander ISD. However, LISD ocials said students and parents are not fully aware of the help available in the schools regarding
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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CEDAR PARK LEANDER EDITION • JUNE 2022
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