The second week of May is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and, as many communities around the country contemplate how they can better help their children and students properly care for their mental health, the State College Area School District is already ahead of the curve, providing many resources for children and families in the community.

According to Michael C. Wolff, Ph.D., interim director at The Psychological Clinic at Penn State, “They offer a wide array of services for their students, who may be experiencing various levels of need. There are services SCASD provides, such as screening, training, education and prevention services; some of which are delivered to each and every student. Then, there are services available for more at-risk students, such as school counselors, casings and SAP just to name a few. For those students experiencing more intensive challenges, the district has more involved intervention services such as RIT, Home Nursing and [the] Integrated Mental Health (IMH) team.”

Becky Swentosky, program manager and supervisor of the Home Nursing Agency’s Behavioral Health Programming that’s embedded within SCASD, mentions the district’s HEARTS Program for elementary-aged students in grades K-6. “HEARTS (Helping Elementary At-Risk To Succeed) is a school-based partial hospitalization program, which is located in the SCASD Fairmount Building. The term “partial hospitalization program” is best described as a level of mental and behavioral health treatment which allows children to continue to receive their education and remain in their home and community settings, while having their mental health needs met at an intensive level during the day.”

“Children in the HEARTS Program are referred by their elementary schools if their behaviors and/or mental health needs are acute enough that their learning is significantly impacted in the typical school setting,” she continues. “To give a few examples…children referred to HEARTS may be struggling with severe anxiety, depression, unmanageable ADHD symptoms, aggression or self-harmful behaviors or high-functioning autism that is impacting their school performance despite supports put in place through autistic support services. Students in the HEARTS Program receive SCASD curriculum-driven instruction, alongside daily group therapy sessions, and weekly individual therapy sessions. They also have access to a psychiatrist on-site weekly, to meet any medication needs. Treatment plans are developed by the treatment team to help the children meet and exceed their behavioral and emotional goals, and once those goals are met they are transitioned back into their home elementary schools.”

One of the most important aspects of the program, she says, is that it allows children the ability to still experience many of the great SCASD curriculum and education opportunities that their peers enjoy. “The largest benefit of the HEARTS Program is that the children are able to remain within the SCASD system, while having their needs met. Before the HEARTS Program, children with these types of needs had to be sent to off-site programs that were out of the school district.  Students in HEARTS are able to continue receiving SCASD curriculum and they maintain a connection to their home elementary schools and teachers.”

Wolff says that parents looking to keep an eye on their children’s mental health should maintain an open dialogue with the school. “Keeping a connection with your child’s school counselor is essential, not just for class scheduling purposes but also for help in identifying early warning signs for difficulties,” he says. As far as the entire community being more aware of mental health development in children, he says there are a few things that can be done, namely, “…making it a priority, demanding that it be addressed in schools, and addressing the problems and pitfalls associated with stigmatization.”