Increasing Student Health Outcomes from the Inside Out
Together, with educational professionals, Southside Behavioral Health is working to give our local youth their best chance to succeed in school and in their community with new in-school services. This initiative will work with educators to increase student health outcomes as well as student success rates through helpful mental health services, such as therapeutic mentoring, case management, and family therapy.
These services are being offered in coordination with the Brunswick, Mecklenburg, and Halifax County School guidance departments. Students will be able access scheduled appointments with mental health professionals who are trained in evidence-based practices and are either bachelor’s level qualified mental health professionals or master’s level licensed or licensed eligible therapists. Students will also be able to walk up to their nurses’ station/guidance department to access a confidential crisis discussion or medication management.
Southside Behavioral Health hopes these services will make appointment management easier for local families and youth. Families will even have the option to video-conference in for a youth’s appointment for family counseling that fits everyone’s schedule. This initiative is also intended to help connect local families to telehealth services who otherwise may not have access to a stable network connection.
“Through these partnerships, we are responding to the needs of our community,” says Southside Behavioral Health Director of Child and Family Services Ryan McCoull. “We plan to continue expanding and improving on our school services to make sure our local youth are getting the support they need when and where they need it.”
In the future, Southside Behavioral Health hopes to extend these services to neighboring counties as well as expand on them to include an in-person mental health professional inside the school who works in coordination with the school’s guidance department to help students get the help they need to succeed.