% OPERATE EFFICIENTLY.
% >> IN DECLARING 2023 "THE YEAR
% OF MENTAL HEALTH," EVERS TUESDAY
% ANNOUNCED SPENDING $270 MILLION
% TO ENSURE EVERY STUDENT HAS
% ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH
% SERVICES.
% BECAUSE AMONG CHILDREN, ANXIETY,
% DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE REPORTS
% ARE UP.
% AND A THIRD SAY THEY FEEL SAD OR%
HOPELESS EVERY DAY.
% THIS IS ACCORDING TO THE OFFICE
% OF CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH.
% TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT STUDENT
% STRUGGLES, WE TURN TO CINDY
% BOURGET, AN ACADEMIC COUNSELSOR%
AT ELK MOUND MIDDLE SCHOOL.
% SHE'S BEEN NAMED COUNSELOR OF
% THE YEAR BY THE WISCONSIN SCHOOL
% COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION, AND HER
% SCHOOL HAS ALSO RECEIVED THE
% PROGRAM OF PROMISE AWARD FOR
% THEIR WORK WITH STUDENTS.
% SHE JOINS US NOW.
% AND CINDY, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
% BEING HERE.
% >> OF COURSE.
% THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO HOW WELCOME IS THE
% ATTENTION AND POTENTIAL FUNDING
% FOR STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH?
% >> IT'S VERY WELCOME AND VERY
% NEEDED.
% WE'RE VERY EXCITED THAT PEOPLE
% ARE STARTING TO PAY ATTENTION TO
% THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS, AND
% WHEN I SAY PEOPLE, OUR COMMUNITY
% HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THAT OUR
% STUDENTS NEED SUPPORT, AND IT'S
% JUST NICE TO GET THE VALIDATION
% THAT EVERYONE IS STARTING TO
% NOTICE THAT.
% >> BECAUSE HOW BIG IS THE NEED
% AND WHAT ARE YOU SEEING ON THE
% GROUND WITH YOUR STUDENTS?
% >> THE NEED IS GROWING.
% I WOULD SAY THAT THE CONCERNS
% AND ISSUES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
% THERE, BUT THE STRESSORS THAT
% THE PANDEMIC BROUGHT HAS REALLY
% BROUGHT THAT SPOTLIGHT TO THOSE
% NEEDS.
% SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE AS SCHOOL
% COUNSELORS FOCUS ON ACADEMICS,
% SO THEIR ACHIEVEMENT, WE FOCUS
% ON THEIR ATTENDANCE AND WE FOCUS
% ON THEIR BEHAVIOR.
% AND HERE IN ELK MOUND, WE HAVE
% BEEN FOCUSING ON ABSENTEEISM,
% BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SEEING AN
% INCREASE OF SCHOOL AVOIDANCE AND
% ANXIETY SINCE GOING VIRTUAL AND
% COMING BACK.
% >> AND SO SCHOOL AVOIDANCE GOES
% TO ANXIETY.
% HOW SO?
% I MEAN, WHAT ARE STUDENTS MORE
% ANXIOUS ABOUT?
% >> AND I THINK WE ALL, AS
% PEOPLE, HAVE FELT THAT URGE WHEN
% WE'RE ANXIOUS TO AVOID
% SOMETHING.
% AND SO STUDENTS TEND TO BE
% WORRIED ABOUT THINGS LIKE
% GRADES, THEY GET WORRIED ABOUT
% THINGS LIKE HOW THEY'RE GOING TO
% INTERACT WITH THEIR FRIENDS, BUT
% THERE'S ALSO THAT ADDED WORRY OF
% I'M NOT WITH MY PARENT, AND I'VE
% BEEN WITH MY PARENT FOR THE LAST
% TWO YEARS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING
% WHEN I'M NOT WITH THEM?
% AND TO BE QUITE HONEST WITH YOU,
% A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT
% ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHY THEY'RE
% ANXIOUS.
% IT'S JUST THERE.
% AND SO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING
% IS FOCUSING ON BUILDING UP THE
% RESILIENCY TO BE ABLE TO
% OVERCOME THAT ANXIETY.
% >> HOW DO YOU BUILD RESILIENCY?
% WHAT ARE THE STEPS, WHAT ARE THE
% TOOLS?
% >> IT'S MULTIFACETED, REALLY.
% BUT AS THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR, THE
% BEAUTY OF BEING ABLE TO USE
% DATA, WHICH WE ARE USING
% ABSENTEEISM, LIKE THE RATES OF
% ABSENCES, TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY
% WHICH STUDENTS NEED ONE ON ONE
% SUPPORT AND WHAT STUDENTS NEED
% GENERAL SUPPORT.
% SO FOR ME AS THE SCHOOL
% COUNSELOR, I DO PROGRAMMING WITH
% SMALL GROUPS, I DO A GROUP WHERE
% WE TALK ABOUT GROWTH MINDSET,
% HOW TO SIT IN THE UNCOMFORTABLE
% AND THOSE FEELINGS OF WANTING TO
% BE AWAY.
% BUT MY STAFF HAS ALSO BEEN
% WONDERFUL BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN
% IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMMING IN
% THEIR HOME ROOMS SO ALL STUDENTS
% ARE GETTING INSTRUCTION ON HOW
% TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY AND BUILD
% THE RESILIENCY BACK.
% >> AND HAVE YOU SEEN A CHANGE IN
% EITHER ATTENDANCE OR BEHAVIOR OR
% OVERALL KIND OF A SENSE OF
% WELL-BEING AMONGST THE STUDENTS?
% >> I WOULD SAY YES.
% OUR DATA IS SHOWING THAT OUR
% STUDENTS WITH THE HIGHEST RATES
% OF ABSENTEEISM HAVE GONE FROM
% 85% OF DAYS TO 90% OF DAYS.
% SO IT'S A 5% INCREASE
% SPECIFICALLY AMONG OUR HIGHEST
% RATES, AND THEN OVERALL, OUR
% RATES OF STUDENTS FEELING
% CONNECTED TO THEIR BUILDING AND
% THEIR STAFF HAS INCREASED 15% AS
% WELL.
% SO IT CAN REALLY HAVE SOME
% SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AND SOME
% SIGNIFICANT ATTITUDE CHANGES
% WITH OUR STUDENTS.
% >> AND HOW DO YOU BRING THE
% FAMILIES INTO THIS KIND OF MIX
% OF WELLNESS?
% >> YOU MAKE A WONDERFUL POINT,
% BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST THE SCHOOL
% BUILDING WHERE THESE FEELINGS
% COME FROM.
% AND EVERYONE IN A STUDENT'S LIFE
% IS REACTING DIFFERENTLY TO THE
% STRESS, AND THAT'S KIND OF THE
% NATURE OF LIFE TOO, BECAUSE
% THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE
% STRESS.
% SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH
% FAMILIES IS TEACHING THEM HOW TO
% SUPPORT THEIR CHILD WHEN THEY'RE
% STRESSED, QUICK LITTLE THINGS ON
% HOW TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND WHEN A
% STUDENT DOESN'T WANT TO COME TO
% SCHOOL, BUT ALSO WE USE A
% PROGRAM CALLED CARE SOLACE,
% WHERE ANYONE IN THE CRICK DISTR,
% YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A STUDENT
% IN THE BUILDING, YOU DON'T HAVE
% TO WORK HERE, CAN USE THIS
% SERVICE TO BE ABLE TO BE
% CONNECTED TO OUTSIDE COUNSELING
% SERVICES SO WHEN THE PROBLEMS
% GET TOO BIG, WE HERE AT THE
% SCHOOL ARE CONNECTING YOU TO
% RORESOURCES YOU NEED.
% >> YOU HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH
% COORDINATOR.
% HOW MEANINGFUL HAS THAT BEEN
% TOWARD HELPING THE SCHOOL
% COMMUNITY?%>> IT HAS BEEN A G
AME CHANGER,
% REALLY.
% BECAUSE AS SCHOOL COUNSELORS,
% WE'RE HERE TO HELP STUDENTS
% WITHIN THE SCHOOL DAY AND WITHIN
% THE SCHOOL BUILDING WITH THEIR
% ACADEMICS, THEIR ATTENDANCE AND
% THEIR BEHAVIOR.
% BUT ANXIETY AND MENTAL HEALTH
% DOESN'T JUST AFFECT THAT.
% SO WHEN WE HAVE A STUDENT WHO
% HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A
% HIGHER NEED, AND SO WHAT THAT
% MEANS IS THAT THEY'VE BEEN
% MEETING WITH ME PRETTY
% CONSISTENTLY, WE AREN'T SEEING
% IMPROVEMENT IN GRADES OR
% ATTENDANCE, THEN IT'S MAYBE TIME
% TO CONNECT THEM WITH SOME
% OUTSIDE SERVICES.
% THAT'S WHAT OUR MENTAL HEALTH
% COORDINATOR IS ABLE TO DO, AND
% THEY'RE ABLE TO HELP THE FAMILY
% MANEUVER THAT SYSTEM BECAUSE AS
% WE ALL KNOW, IT CAN BE KIND OF
% TRICKY.
% AND SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO HAVE
% THE SCHOOL HELP THAN TO HELP
% THEM MANEUVER THAT PROCESS.
% >> I DO UNDERSTAND THAT
% COORDINATOR IS A GRANT-FUNDED
% POSITION AND SO IF THERE WERE
% ANY KIND OF SUSTAINABLE FUNDING
% GOING FORWARD, THAT WOULD BE
% VERY WELCOME AS WELL.
% >> I WOULD AGREE.
% SO LISTENING TO THE STATE OF THE
% STATE ADDRESS AND ALL THE
% WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES AND
% FUNDINGS THAT WE'RE BEING
% PROVIDED ARE VERY WELCOMED AND
% VERY APPRECIATED, BUT AS YOU'RE
% WORKING WITH A STUDENT WHO IS
% WITH YOU FROM K-12, SO UP TO 15
% YEARS, BEING ABLE TO HAVE A
% CONSISTENT SOURCE OF INCOME TO
% MAKE SURE THAT THOSE SUPPORTS
% ARE THERE THEIR ENTIRE SCHOOL
% CAREER IS REALLY ESSENTIAL.
% SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND AS WE
% REALLY LOOK AT THOSE CONCERNS,
% CONSIDERING CONSISTENT FUNDING
% WOULD BE APPRECI APPRECIATED.
% >> WE LEAVE IT THERE.
% CINDY BOURGET, THANK YOU VERY
% MUCH.%>> THANK YOU.
% >> FOR 24-HOUR HELP, THE CRISIS