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Episode 6: Storytime - A Tale of Two Caring Professionals and One Elementary School
415 Plays1 year ago
What happens when a school partners with a mental health therapist for the first time? How does a therapist impact the world and work of the school social worker? What lessons will they learn along the way?
In this sixth episode, we dive deep into the story of two professionals responsible for supporting the mental health needs of students and families. The scene is Knapp Elementary School in the Racine Unified School District and our two key players are Kristine Jacobs, Child and Family Therapist with Children’s Wisconsin and Brenda Kunz, Knapp School Social Worker. Join Kristine and Brenda as they look back and unpack their first encounters with school-based mental health. Travel forward with them through the years as they explore the nuts and bolts of making collaboration a reality in their school/community partnership. This episode is a real page-turner – featuring plenty of happy endings (or really, new beginnings) for the teachers, students and families of Knapp Elementary!
Show Notes
Coalition for Expanding School-Based Mental Health in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction - Comprehensive School Mental Health
Wisconsin School Mental Health Framework
Children’s Wisconsin School-Based Mental Health
Racine Unified School District School-Based Mental Health
School Counselors and Social Workers
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction & Mission
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to School Mental Health Works, a quick-dip monthly podcast presenting dialogues on school mental health in Wisconsin as viewed through the lens of the array of stakeholders who play a role in the comprehensive model of school mental health services in Wisconsin.
00:00:16
Speaker
Our mission is to share the successes and challenges experienced by a range of partners in Wisconsin as communities continue to collaborate and show that school mental health works. This series is a product of the Coalition for Expanding School-Based Mental Health in Wisconsin, a statewide coalition with a mission to advance and support expanded, comprehensive and integrated mental health services within the school setting through school, home and community partnerships.
Meet the Hosts
00:01:01
Speaker
My name is Christine Jacobs. I'm a child and family therapist with Children's Wisconsin. I am a school-based therapist at Knapp Elementary. And joining me today is my colleague, Brenda Coons, Knapp's school social worker. I'm really excited to be here. And honestly, Brenda, there's no one I would rather have by my figurative side than you.
00:01:26
Speaker
You and I have known each other a while. But for the benefit of our listeners, why don't we start by sharing a little bit about ourselves? If you want to share what you do as a school social worker and how long have you been at NAP? I have been a school social worker for 20 plus years. This is my coming up on my 11th year at NAP Elementary. Wow. I'm just applauding you. And that's awesome. Yeah, I'm not going anywhere unless they make
00:01:56
Speaker
make me, but, um, and yeah, I mean, I do a ton of things at, at NAP as a social worker, super busy all the time. So it's been wonderful to have you as a support, um, just in, in so many different ways, not just being the clinical therapist through children's, um, but just to bounce off ideas off of you times when I get stuck in certain situations. Um, that's been really helpful.
00:02:25
Speaker
Yeah, I concur. We have a great partnership, which is why it feels really great to be able to share with listeners about the power of the school community partner partnership when it comes to school-based mental health.
Starting in School-Based Mental Health
00:02:40
Speaker
Let's go back to the beginning. You and I met in 2016, and I remember it. I have an image. I was interviewing for a job. We are at a big conference table.
00:02:51
Speaker
And I found myself there because I was at a community mental health event about six months prior to that, where I heard for the very first time about school-based mental health within Racine Unified School District.
00:03:07
Speaker
And I had never heard about it, and I thought, what a cool idea. I was a licensed mental health professional, and I wasn't even looking for a job, but I thought, that sounded neat. And then, coincidence, six months later, I saw this job posting, read the description, and thought, hey, I know what that is. That's that really cool thing I heard about. So I was like, I got to look into this. I got to find out more about this position.
00:03:34
Speaker
And that's how I came to be interviewing with children and meeting the NAP staff and meeting you. What about you though? What do you first remember hearing about school-based mental health? What were your first impressions? I remember the first time meeting you as being in that room as well. And I had heard about it maybe, I don't know how long before, because this was a while ago, but maybe a month before that we were getting
00:04:00
Speaker
we're going to be interviewing for a therapist. And so I was a little worried. Like I see kids for individual counseling and group counseling and we had a counselor and why are we getting another one? I was a little bit like, are they going to replace me? I was a little bit worried about that. But then they invited me to the, your interview, you know, for, for interviewing potential, um, therapists for that position. And I will say that I don't remember the other two or one or two, but by far you stood out.
00:04:28
Speaker
as being the most competent. So I was happy that they hired you. Um, yeah, I was still a little bit like just confused about how are we going to have a therapist in the school? And I just didn't quite get it all. And so it was a little bit stressful in the beginning, I think. And then to find out that the referrals had to go through me and I had to do more work to help you. And people would ask me like, who's on her caseload? I'm thinking I'm worried about my own caseload. And so it was a little bit of an adjustment.
00:04:58
Speaker
Yeah. It has turned out to be so supportive and helpful.
Evolving Partnerships & Community Acceptance
00:05:03
Speaker
I don't know how we did it without you in the beginning to be honest. We have so many kids with so many needs and I can't possibly see them all for counseling. And then the things that, you know, I give you all the difficult stuff to deal with because that's the best thing we do as a school social worker. That's really not our role.
00:05:20
Speaker
What an evolution. Yeah, you were reluctant. It didn't show. I don't remember feeling that way. But maybe I was coming in a little naive, like, yay, this program is so exciting. And maybe you were at a different spot, just a little bit reluctant.
00:05:38
Speaker
Yeah, what an interesting mix, because there were that very first school year. We had to get together and already start our relationship, our partnership, and figure out how to get the school-based mental health program up and running at NAF school. What do you think, if you can remember back in the beginning, what was our biggest challenges in the beginning, like that first year? I think for me, not knowing who to refer, when to refer,
00:06:09
Speaker
I don't know how to get really just logistics, you know, paperwork and stuff like that. I remember that. And I also remember once, you know, teachers would refer and then we had a screening process, which we don't really use anymore. I think that was an extra unneeded step or maybe it was needed at the time, but now, you know, they just directly tell me, can we refer this person? And, you know, teachers now are more educated on it and they know who to refer.
00:06:37
Speaker
So I think that we don't need to use that screening process anymore. I think it has always been difficult to get parents on board. But it's getting easier, I think, every year. I think it's just like anything that you do. I'm more experienced in how to talk to parents about it. And I can also say that, well, this is our therapist and introduce you like I do a lot.
00:06:58
Speaker
And she's been with us seven years and I think that people really like that. I don't remember the challenges because they were so long ago and now everything is pretty smooth. Life can do that. Yeah. Well, how's it going now is different from how it was then. But I think you're right. I remember there was an awkwardness. This is a new process. Like you said, you never had this on your plate before. It wasn't a part of your job duties.
00:07:21
Speaker
So a little bit, yeah, uncomfortable maybe to say like, here's more work for you. And not exactly sure, none of us were really sure exactly how it was gonna go. And I remember too, you know, it seemed like schools, well, I know this for a fact, schools,
00:07:43
Speaker
often don't have the resources they need. And I felt that kind of scarcity mindset about this, about therapy, about mental health services for kids, is that even though I didn't work at the school, you know, I just came on with this program.
00:08:02
Speaker
I had the idea that before I came on, there weren't a lot of resources for mental health for kids. I mean, I know that to be a fact. That's one of the reasons why the community identified this need for children's mental health and actually advocated and planned for school-based mental health. So I know there wasn't a lot of therapy resources for kids.
00:08:26
Speaker
And I, yeah, I seem to remember that you and I felt like we got to save this resource. Like it, yeah, it is a, it's a last resort maybe. Prior to you, I would refer parents to different counseling agencies in the area and they never followed through, never. A lot of times because the wait list was too long or they had no transportation.
00:08:54
Speaker
A lot of our parents don't have transportation, so that was always a challenge. They would, you know, and it can't get any easier now. It's like, here's her office. It's right here. Let me show you her office. Let's see if she's in today so she can meet you, which is great. If not, I hope you don't mind. I show them around your office and how comfortable it is and how it is still separate from the school. And then I talk to them about anything you say in this room stays in this room. She doesn't tell me anything you guys talk about.
00:09:22
Speaker
So this is how it's separate from the school. And I think that visual really helps too. And they don't have to drive in the mirror. Their kids can get therapy while they're in school or right after school. And I think seven years ago, it was a little taboo too, to talk about therapy. And gradually over the years, not just in our school, but the community, I think it's more accepted that it's okay to ask for help. And it's kind of a cool thing.
00:09:52
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's a really great visual. Like you sounded like you got the concept you bought in. You thought this is reducing barriers. Here we are right on site so parents can know exactly where they're going.
00:10:08
Speaker
And I like that picture you paint about how you can introduce, you know, hopefully to me, you can introduce kids and families and even to my space, which can, yeah, can warm them up, can help overcome
00:10:25
Speaker
That nervousness, it can be overwhelming. It takes a little of the mystery out of it. Especially, yeah. Mental health services were in elementary school. So kids and families may not have access to those before or had a need for those. So some families really, there's an anxiety about what we don't know. So to not know beforehand. And then you can expose them to it in these little doses because we're right there at the school. Yeah.
00:10:54
Speaker
And two, how you said, yeah, over time, having the clinic at the school, it just sort of is a constant. And so it's now just a part of our environment. So has that made people feel a little more used to it, comfortable with it? I think so. Yeah. I mean, I think I feel like something that's different from the beginning till now is that this resource is not a last resort. We really have worked to make it
00:11:23
Speaker
broadly available to lots of types of kids and families. And I love that because as the therapist, it means I'm working with a lot of different problems. If I only had the most severe or intense or just one kind of problem, it would probably burn me out. So this way is a lot better that we just, yeah, we really educate families that therapy can help with a lot of different kinds of things going on.
00:11:49
Speaker
And families, yeah, over time have grown in receptiveness.
Understanding Therapy & Educator Roles
00:11:56
Speaker
And I started to say this earlier, but then I think I sidetracked myself. But I feel like in the beginning, teachers, and maybe that's not fair to say, but felt like some teachers expected like a quick fix as soon as they start saying, Christine, well, this kid is still acting out what's going on. And I still get that here and there. They don't say it outright, but kind of. But I think they're learning. They've learned with you educating.
00:12:19
Speaker
staff through meetings and just them referring kids and understanding now that it's a longer process then you know therapy digs pretty deep and sometimes things might even not necessarily get worse but they might get worse before they get better because all this stuff is coming out and then it's a longer process and it's not a quick fix. And I don't think they knew that as much in the beginning because it was new and unfamiliar to teachers but now they're I think they're pretty aware. Once in a while someone will ask me
00:12:48
Speaker
Well, he's still at, you know, but usually that's a new teacher that doesn't know, understand yet, so.
00:12:53
Speaker
Well, I do that too. It's hard not to want problems to get better. I mean, everyone who works in a school cares about kids. And so to have kids suffering or behavior problems getting in the way, it can feel bad. And so to be like, hurry up, let's get this bad part over with and have everybody on track, ready to learn. That's our goal at the school. It's true.
00:13:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I think that's really perceptive how it's just by being a part of the process, by me being on site full-time and at the school over this length of time, the teachers and staff and administrators, they now get a sense of what therapy is. You're right. It was almost like in a separate world when it was in a separate building or out there in the community.
00:13:46
Speaker
And yeah, here it is just sort of infusing that education and maybe even some, you know, destigmatization by being a part of the environment.
00:13:57
Speaker
How about families? What do you think about their receptiveness to mental health? You're the frontline coordinator of referrals. So if there's a family that comes to the attention of school staff, your role is to reach out. So I am always curious because that happens kind of before they might come to me. What do they think? Well, I think that has gotten better the longer you've been here too. And I don't know if that's just
00:14:24
Speaker
because mental health is more talked about, you know, just even nationally. Television commercials even, you know. Yeah. I was like, oh, sorry. I was going to say that's like a benefit of the pandemic. We don't like to give it a lot of benefits, but yeah, maybe. Yeah. So I think parents are more receptive. There are some that aren't. One other thing I've learned, and I've talked to our assistant principal about this too, because she refers kids.
00:14:52
Speaker
Um, we're planting a seed. Well, I don't, you know, sometimes I'll get from a teacher. Well, I don't think they're going to go for school based mental health. Well, but I'm still going to talk to them about it. So whether we think they're going to do it or not, even though I, I don't think they're going to do it either, but it's still my responsibility to let them know what I'm recommending, what I think would be helpful. Um, and so sometimes, you know, parents are right on board and other times they're not, they're not, they're just not, they say they are, but then they don't follow through.
00:15:22
Speaker
or they say, you know, they say they're really into it and they'll go maybe one session and they drop out. But I feel like my role is to plant seeds. So maybe every couple of months. Well, remember we talked about that school-based mental health and I document everything on each child that I've recommended. And sometimes they, you know, it takes two or three or four times to recommend it before they will be committed. But I think that's part of the process and that's okay.
00:15:53
Speaker
I really love that part about being in a school. This is a little embarrassing to say, but until I worked at a school, it didn't click or dawn on me how educators and school professionals are really knowledgeable about child development and child behavior. I mean, this is what they do. They have expertise and education on kids.
00:16:21
Speaker
And so to be able, I like that school educates families. They're in a role to not just, okay, come to school and get your education, that really as the professionals and the experts in kids in a way, they let families know what they know and they give recommendations or
00:16:46
Speaker
you know, really from a place of expertise about what might be needed. And so I think you're just right on that. You can't say, oh, it's all right. Let's not help them. You know, let's not let them know about what our concerns are or let's not. And then we can link them up with with help, too. So we don't just leave them high and dry. What a nice benefit of the program being right in the building is you can help parents
00:17:12
Speaker
you know, know about things that parents might not know about. And it's awesome. And I don't, you know, there's no judgment if I recommend it. And the parent says, no, I just say, you know, just here's, just call me if you change your mind, it's okay. I find myself saying there's no judgment here a lot, several times a week in a lot of situations because there really isn't.
00:17:36
Speaker
Maybe they're just not ready yet, but maybe they will be the next time. Yeah. I think you and I see eye to eye, though, that therapy is one way to change behaviors and resolve problems. And it's not the only way. So it is, you know, it is not our position to say this is what you have to do, or you must do it. And families might find other ways to get help. And we totally are non judgmental about that. I do say, you know, you can go to
00:18:04
Speaker
There's other agencies too, if you want to try that, but miss Jacobs doesn't have a waiting list right now. Yeah. I mean, it really, yeah, there really are a lot of benefits to having the clinic. Uh, I feel like parents are buying in more. They're getting a little bit easier. I do too. Yeah. Yeah. That's pretty cool to watch that evolve.
00:18:27
Speaker
Hasn't that been neat? Yes, I am amazed every time I have a parent sit down in front of me and they say, this is exactly what I want. Here I am. I'm ready to go. I'm so glad I found out about it.
00:18:39
Speaker
So that
Early Identification & Long-Term Relationships
00:18:41
Speaker
feels good. I feel like, too, we do a really good job at NAP at not just the kids getting suspended or problems like that. That's one way you can know a child's having problems. And on the other hand, I think we do a really good job of looking from our subtle ways, more subtle signs of kids having problems.
00:19:02
Speaker
And yeah, and I'm so impressed because there'll be times that I meet kids and families who do sign up for the onsite therapy, the school-based mental health.
00:19:13
Speaker
And maybe you sort of give me a little background and say, oh, here's one or two things I called and reached out to the family about. But maybe there's not a lot going on. I'm not really sure. But they said yes, they signed up. And when the family sits down in front of me, they open up about a lot of information, a lot of family stress, or maybe a history of trauma. And every time that happens, I am so
00:19:39
Speaker
Oh, relieved that the family is getting help and it wasn't, you know, an obvious problem. It's maybe before problems have gotten really bad. And so I feel extra proud of NAP that we pick up on those signs. You pick up on those signs and you have a really good background and awareness of what kind of things therapy might help with. Yeah, behavior certainly is one, but it's definitely not the only
00:20:10
Speaker
We have a lot of kids that internalize things and teachers are getting better and better about, you know, identifying those kids. Maybe there's no behavior problems, but they're just, they don't talk much. They seem sad. Can you check this kid out? What do you think? So we have the best staff here. It is a great place to work and we're biased, but for sure.
00:20:34
Speaker
So sometimes it is very streamlined from what I can see that you reach out to a family, they sign up right away, and the referral comes to me and I start therapy. On the other hand, you said sometimes it takes more of the seed planting. What do you think? Can you think of a family that has been referred to me that you did more behind the scenes before they were really ready, but that it eventually paid off?
00:21:03
Speaker
I can think of some right now that you don't even know about yet. They're coming to you. Because I'm always planting seeds and working with families that way. I talk to parents a lot. It's probably 50% of my job. And that usually has to do with behavior and then those internalizing kids. But let me think. I could think of a few.
00:21:31
Speaker
We have so many families with so many different needs. And we had one without obviously not giving names, but a girl, but mom said no. She just really wasn't into that. She didn't throw some other family secrets, I think. She didn't really want her daughter talking to anybody. And so I built a relationship with mom over time. And I was seeing the girl for counseling, but knowing she needed more because she was coming to me two or three times a week.
00:22:01
Speaker
with legitimate things, you know to talk about and I just kept planting those seeds with mom working with mom developing that relationship and Eventually, she did sign up with you Maybe it was two years ago. I anyway, it doesn't matter I guess but she's now the the child has developed a relationship with you mom has developed a relationship with you and They're not calling me as much and she's not coming to see me as much so that's a sign to me of health and and she's with you and mom sees you and then
00:22:31
Speaker
The daughter sees you and it just gives me more time to start seeing other kids
Collaboration & Trust in Mental Health Services
00:22:36
Speaker
with other needs because she was taking up a lot a lot of my time because she had You know, she needed therapy and so yeah, and they're both doing a lot better. Yeah And I think you were seeing another child in the family that doesn't even go to our school
00:22:52
Speaker
Well, there you go. When there is a trauma situation, yeah. The whole family can be affected, and that is a benefit of the school-based mental health, is that the whole family can get services with me. And I like the ones, just another form of therapy or some where you, since you've been here a while, you saw them when they were younger, and then they made some progress, and then you'd see the parent, and then they stopped therapy because they were pretty good. And then just as children develop,
00:23:22
Speaker
you know, later on now she's the one I'm thinking of is going to be a middle school pretty soon and you start seeing her again. Yeah, so at different stages of development with kids and with families, you know, they may stop therapy for a little while. But if you've built a good relationship, then when the a couple years later, something else might happen or
00:23:42
Speaker
I love that about our school-based mental health model is that kids who started seeing me when they were at NAP, which only goes up to fifth grade, they can continue to see me beyond fifth grade. And that is so important. If they developed a relationship with me and then had a transfer to a new therapist, it would be hard to start all over. So I feel good about that too, is that they can keep seeing me.
00:24:08
Speaker
And you made a good point when you said about that one little girl. Your role is for all the kids in the building. All what, 450 students at NAP? Right. And that's a lot. And we are a high needs school. Nobody would argue against that.
00:24:26
Speaker
So yeah, to have therapy services and my role be able to go deeper with families. So I don't work with all the kids. I'm not as broad. But you're right.
00:24:39
Speaker
The ability to go deeper can really resolve things more fully and effectively. So it sounds like you had that instinct. And you wished mom connected those dots. And then she had her own stuff going on, maybe. And so it took that time. And yeah, I have to sense for sure you did not have judgment. You didn't say, forget it. If you don't think therapy now, then I'm not going to.
00:25:06
Speaker
bring it up again. No, you just affected neutral and kept going. I just remembered her telling me once on the phone, Miss Coons, you're the best. You're the only one I'm ever going to trust. I remember her saying that and also telling her daughter, I almost said her name, but I remember her daughter saying, my mom said only to talk to you and don't talk to anyone.
00:25:27
Speaker
So identifying and linking referrals with the clinic is just the first step. So getting those kids and families, whether it's quick or slow, what else does it take, in your opinion, Brenda, to have this integrated mental health clinic like we do at an app? What else goes into it? Sometimes I've heard it referred to as a well-oiled machine that I can't even think of. It just works. It just works.
00:25:53
Speaker
And yet it didn't always. I mean, how you pointed out in the beginning, we didn't have processes and, you know, ways of doing things. So I think that's exactly, you know, what comes to my mind. We and I had to work on that. We had to work on it with, you know, other school team, others in the school, other touch points. But we had to develop processes. And now it just seems so easy. And yeah,
00:26:20
Speaker
And if parents say no, like I said, I'd keep a running document of everything. So I'll go back in a couple months or whatever, depending on the child, and maybe plant another seed. And so I have those. And I don't panic if they say no, because I know there's five more families that are in
Success Stories & Advice for Schools
00:26:43
Speaker
need. And if I really wanted to, I could refer a lot more.
00:26:50
Speaker
It's like we have a continuous cycle of kids. You're always going to have referrals. That is exactly what comes to mind. There's so much work behind the scenes. So much of the legwork is happening, like you said, on the phone with families. That people don't see. Teachers don't see. Yeah, for sure. 1,000%. We're not in front of a classroom of kids all day long. And yet,
00:27:13
Speaker
If we weren't in the building, if you weren't in the building, holy cow, the problems would just start coming out. I mean, that's really what is so important about the support roles in school. Yeah. And I do want to say we have a fantastic counselor, Sam Mo. Yeah. And she sees a lot of kids with a lot of issues too every day. Her office is right across from me. So I see the amount of kids that she sees for counseling. And then within those, she knows now.
00:27:49
Speaker
Which kids need to go to you? She has a really good feel for that. This is exactly another thing that I think we work on as a team. What else is going on behind the scenes? Role confusion is real. It can be, you know, there are times when we bump into each other professionally and it's a little, um, in the past, I think more so, like you said, while oiled machine, but
00:28:06
Speaker
which ones to refer. We haven't had her that long, but she's yeah, she's already up to speed like you're describing.
00:28:15
Speaker
You know who's doing what with what kid or family or who's going to call the parents and talk about this thing that happened at school. And so we have worked really hard to communicate with each other and I think it's over communicating and yet that's the way to do it. I think that's the best.
00:28:36
Speaker
strategy is now it now it comes just naturally there's some kids that I still see that you see for sure and we communicate on those regularly which helps me and helps you and so well I I know our team has worked really hard on getting communication we have routine meetings and you know what I love we hold each other accountable for those meetings so if you know we're busy schools are busy places so it's not
00:29:03
Speaker
unheard of that one of us can attend a meeting whether it's you or me or the counselor and we say okay so when can you come because we know we cannot do without the communication you can't cut that out it's it's vital it's the it's the you know the magic that helps us build those relationships because i think that's what we've done really really well over the years is
00:29:29
Speaker
all of the communication and all of the efforts and the going through this process together, we've, yeah, we have developed a relationship. And that is what helps us just have things go so smoothly now. Yeah, I agree. And it's, it's been great. And I feel I shouldn't even say this, but I will say if I were to leave tomorrow,
00:29:52
Speaker
you guys would be fine without me, because it's the whole machine. You know, it's the whole machine is you could take one of us out, but it would still, you know, there's enough other people that know how things work and what works best and it would still work. So that's great. You know, we could probably use a couple more social workers. It's just, yeah, it's very high need school. Yes.
00:30:19
Speaker
And yeah, doesn't it feel good though to have all the pieces at full capacity and working together? We can do more this way. So not every school is where we're at in terms of school-based mental health. They haven't had the longevity and the history of relationships. So what do you think? Do you have a piece of advice you would give to a school starting school-based mental health for the first time? I think regular meetings.
00:30:49
Speaker
I think not just with the social worker and the therapist, but with the social worker, the counselor, an admin person, I think is key. And, you know, in the therapist. So I think in the beginning that was another thing too. It was just you and I, you and I, you and I. And it wasn't that I wanted someone else to do part of my job, but you just got to have it. You have to have, you have to have administrator buy-in.
00:31:17
Speaker
I think that's it. By inviting those people to the table, we get their voice, but then we also can give them, they get insight into what we're doing. And that is helpful to know, what is this program? What's going on with it? And because therapy happens behind closed doors, it's private. Nobody really knows. So having meetings where it's not that I'm talking about
00:31:40
Speaker
private family matters, but they can hear about the processes and what goes into a referral and what it actually looks like from logistical standpoint. And, you know, hearing a little bit about those kids and families to know. I think it works. I'm sorry to interrupt. I keep interrupting, but I think weekly, in the beginning, weekly meetings with admin, social worker, counselor, therapist. Yeah.
00:32:07
Speaker
And you can always cancel a meeting if there's nothing to talk about. But I think in the front end, if more work is done with that team, maybe we'd be further, would have been further along quicker. You're right. Yeah, we had gaps. Then you and I could talk about stuff, but then I had to run by an administrator or explain to an administrator. It's like, well, if we had the meeting, then everybody would be on the same page. But live and learn, we can't be perfect.
00:32:31
Speaker
We are human, for sure. Having everybody there is just a way to forge that connection and really make this program a part of the school, which I think NAP has done.
Conclusion & Future Outlook
00:32:44
Speaker
I feel very much a part of NAP.
00:32:47
Speaker
Yeah, I can't believe that. It's been almost seven years. I know. And also, thank you for all the families and kids that I know you've helped. Yeah, thank you. I mean, without you, literally the way the school clinic works is that I depend on you. So I feel grateful every time that I meet a family knowing that the school helped them get the therapy they need. So thank you for providing it and for sticking with us for so long.
00:33:12
Speaker
Thank you. Well, and I'm just excited and grateful that you were here with me today to do my very first podcast, probably yours too. So thank you for partnering with me on this. I really do love what I do and I love that I get to work with you.
00:33:30
Speaker
I hope our story helps others think about their school community collaborations and that we've offered some real world insights about working together to advance student success. On behalf of Brenda and myself, thanks for tuning in. And remember, keep working at School Mental Health because School Mental Health works. Thank you.
00:33:50
Speaker
Looking forward to future episodes? Make sure to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice and leave us a rating so that others invested in better mental health for Wisconsin students can find us. We welcome your questions. You can find resources and learn more by checking out today's show notes and by visiting the Coalition's website at schoolmentalhealthwisconsin.org. Until next time.