VCC Magazine Spring 2018

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2018 29 Remember when 9-11 happened…the American flag magnet adorned the majority of cars and American flags hung from poles in so many neighborhoods. As tears continue to flow for the loved ones who passed away, for families who still have empty seats at the table; our hearts support and appreciate the first responders who answered the call to serve. Why am I reminiscing about 9-11? Unfortunately, in our society, there are not too many causes that uni te Americans… until the outcry of support for uni versal screening for mental health emerged. The shootings at Sandy Hook, VA Tech, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School leave America crying even more rivers and wondering what can be done to prevent any more school shootings or any other acts of violence in churches, temples, synagogues, places of employment. Even though uni versal screening for mental health in schools may not have prevented these senseless acts of violence, the VA School Counselor Association (VSCA) wholeheartedly supports uni versal screening. When it comes to uni versal screening, a few factors to consider are as follows: In K-12 schools, we preventatively screen for several factors, such as achievement, vision, hearing, etc. Every student receives a screening to determine their needs; let’s have schools have a screening for mental health. According to the Center for School Mental Health, mental health screening is the assessment of students to determine whether they may be at risk for a mental health concern. Screening can be conducted using a systematic tool or process with an entire population, such as a school’s student body, or a group of students, such as a classroom or grade level(s). This is different than using assessment measures with students who are already identified as being at-risk for or having mental health problems. After the Sandy Hook shooting, a state organization conducted an in-depth review, and their #1 recommendation was to provide universal screening in schools for all students. Each year, 14- 20% of youth are diagnosed with mental, emotional, or behavioral mental disorders, but only 45% of youth with a mental health diagnosis receive treatment, and only 24% of those individuals receive care in school systems. Furthermore, research shows that schools are best at identifying externalizing behaviors like aggression and are less likely to identify students with internalizing behaviors like anxiety, depression, etc. If we cannot identify mental health issues, we can’t assist students to get their needs met. In America, we talk about physical health and we talk around mental health. Uni versal screening is a framework, and districts can decide on specific criteria such as: a. Which screener they use? (Is it a good fit for the population? Cost? Time?) b. Once students have been identified, how can schools provide resources like referring out? c. Ethics and liability issues (for example, do the screener results go in a student’s permanent record?) d. Issues with liability…if a student is found to have elevated mental health needs and parents refuse services). When it comes to schools providing uni versal screening for mental health, what can schools do? In order to defray the costs, schools should consider developing comm uni ty partnerships and partnering with comm uni ty service boards. Even when families want their children to receive screening for mental health outside of schools, the challenges that many families encounter are as follows: sometimes it will take 8 to 10 weeks to be screened; there is a shortage of mental health specialists and psychiatrists across the nation. In addition to advocating for the 250 students to 1 school counselor, the VA School Counselor Association (VSCA) has a VSCA Board member participating in the Virginia Behavioral Health Advisory Council’s (VBHAD) Children and Youth Sub-committee which like VSCA has Mental Health Screening on its radar and wants to bring uni versal screening to the forefront so students can receive the support they need. Imagine every student receiving mental health support because of uni versal screening in schools and comm uni ties. Like after 9-11, let’s uni te and provide uni versal screening for our K-12 school comm uni ty; this amazing feat at the K-12 level might possibly prevent future acts of violence, stemming from untreated or undiagnosed mental health illnesses, from infiltrating another uni versity’s campus and leaving America with more empty seats, desks and hearts. Uni means one; when we as Americans uni te, uni versal screening ensures more mental health support in schools and our comm uni ties. Phyllis T. Hollimon, M.Ed. serves as a Youth Development Coordinator for Manassas City Public Schools where she has the privilege of coordinating school counseling and PBIS for their school division. She also serves as a Mentoring Coordinator for VA School Counselor Association. WCVE (Richmond, Charlottesville)—Sunday 9 a.m. WBRA (Roanoke, Lynchburg)—Sunday 10 a.m. WVPT (Harrisonburg)—Tuesday 5 p.m. WHRO -World (Norfolk)—Tuesday 5 p.m. • Thursday 5:30 p.m. ARC TV (Southwest Virginia)—Wednesday 1:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Norfolk’s Neighborhood Network, TV-48 —Sunday through Thursday 5 a.m. & 8:30 p.m. Thursday & Friday at 10 p.m. • Saturday at 5 p.m. Suffolk Network, TV-190 —8:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. daily Weekly show information is on Facebook— THIS WEEK IN RICHMOND Past shows may be found on YouTube. For more information: http://ideastations.org/tags/week-richmond V I E W I N G S C H E D U L E “Uni means one and so much more…” By PhylLis T. Hollimon V