School Mental Health Works!

When a crisis occurs in a school or community, staff and students need support.  Our episode today features a conversation between Trish Kilpin, MSSW, CTM, Executive Director of the Office of School Safety at the Wisconsin Department of Justice and Chris Mand, Director of Student Services at Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District.  Trish and Chris share how schools can prepare to ef...

Hello Fall!  We are excited to start a new school year by talking about Compassion Resilience and how to create a positive, supportive school culture for staff and students.  Lisa Stein from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is joined by Emily Jonesberg from Rogers Behavioral Health and Katharine Reid from Wisconsin Safe and Healthy Schools. Click here for more information a...

As another school year comes to a close, we are taking time to reflect and acknowledge that “right service, right time” isn’t always possible in school mental health.  Our guest today is Rachel Zwicky, parent advocate and lived experience representative on the Coalition Board.  Rachel lives in rural northern Wisconsin and joins Kathy to discuss how she has navigated working with her chil...

Today’s episode features a conversation between Mary Kate Riley, Youth Program Coordinator with NAMI Wisconsin, and Kathy Markeland, Coalition Board Member and Executive Director of WI Assn of Family & Children’s Agencies.  Mary Kate tells us about Raise Your Voice, student-led mental health clubs focused on awareness, advocacy and acceptance.  Learn what Raise Your Voice clubs do, h...

Today we are joined by Libby Strunz, School Mental Health Consultant with WI Department of Public Instruction, to discuss the final component of the Wisconsin School Mental Health Framework: Needs Assessment and Resource Mapping.  Kathy Markeland, Coalition Board member and Executive Director of WI Assn of Family & Children’s Agencies inquires about why a Resource Map is a vital part of c...

Whether we are building teams around a student or struggling to solve big cross-system conflicts, there are mindsets and skills that can keep us moving forward or “shadow side” actions and beliefs that can pull us back from progress. Join us for this enlightening conversation with Monica Caldwell, School Mental Health Consultant with the WI Department of Public Instruction.  Monica brings her...

In 2021, the WEA Member Benefits Foundation began an initiative to support School-Based Mental Health in Wisconsin.  Today’s guest, Steve Goldberg, works with funders to engage them in trust-based philanthropy and provide support to local school districts.  Julie Hueller, Coalition Chair, worked with Steve and the Foundation during the initial phase of their funding pilot in Racine. &nbs...

Comprehensive school-based mental health initiatives seek to advance mental well-being throughout the school community. At the core of this work are relationships and building a sense of belonging for all students. In this episode, Allyson Forseth, Behavioral Health Initiatives Manager with the WI Association of Family and Children’s Agencies is joined by Dr. Armando Hernández, a Licensed Psycholo...

Today we are joined by Joanne Greenlee, School Mental Health Navigator from the Marshfield School District and facilitator for the Coalition’s School Mental Health Navigator Community of Practice; and Greta Blancarte, Wellness Coordinator from the Ashland School District and Coalition Board Member.  Joanne and Greta share how they came to serve in their current roles and how they help student...

Our guests for this episode are Jamie Ganske, Director of Mental Health and Resilience for Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District, and Heather Birk, Lived Experience Representative with the Coalition for Expanding School-Based Mental Health in Wisconsin.  Jamie shares how her district works to engage families in school-based mental health with an emphasis on promoting mental wellness and...

Amy D’Addario, Program Manager for Samaritan Wellness Screen and Amy Marsman, Senior Research Analyst with the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health discuss the benefits of student mental health screening in schools and how schools might begin a universal screening program. Episode Transcript  Show Notes Coalition for Expanding School-Based Mental Health in Wisconsin Wisconsin Departme...

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 i...

Communities and schools seeking mental health solutions for students are true math whizzes - “blending and braiding” funding from philanthropy, local levy, state & federal grants and insurance to deliver the right answer for success. In the fifth episode, Coalition Board Chair Julie Hueller (Manager, Racine Collaborative for Children's Mental Health) welcomes guests Kristen Waters Guetschow Ph...

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction defines the “Continuum of Mental Health Supports” as mental health promotion, early intervention, and treatment services, including crisis support.  Often organized based on the level of need, the continuum creates a proactive, responsive and flexible web of support for all student’s mental, behavioral, social and emotional strengths and needs as...

Episode 3 features a conversation about collaborating to make school mental health work!  Jamie Ganske, Director of Mental Health and Resilience for Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District, discusses how Chippewa Falls has enacted comprehensive school mental health with the support of various community partnerships.  Dr. Leah Featherstone brings the provider perspective as the Vice P...

This episode will cover how to build a data set to tell your school-based mental health story and give the listener guidance on crafting how you want to tell your success story. Segments include Dr. David Cipriano’s professional journey to school-based mental health; overarching trends and themes; how school districts can use their data and engage community partners; school-based mental health dat...

This inaugural episode of the series features a conversation between Coalition Board Chair, Julie Hueller of the Racine Collaborative for Children’s Mental Health and Board Treasurer, Kathy Markeland of the Wisconsin Association of Family & Children’s Agencies. Julie and Kathy discuss some of the foundational building blocks for growing student mental health systems by exploring the story of t...