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 GAME 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