A Look into Mental Health Services for Youth

Program Plan

Program Plan:
A Look into Mental Health Services for Youth in
Whatcom County

Olivia Cozzetto
February 10, 2015
HSP 485

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Program Plan
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Gap in Services
In Bellingham Washington, a gap of services for children and teens is present. Students in the
public education system are lacking services and resources in the Bellingham School district. As
examined in the Needs Assessment (Cozzetto, 2014), this is a growing problem that affects
student behavior, academic ability, and relationships between other students, parents and
teachers. In the US, around twenty-one percent of children ages nine to seventeen have a
diagnosable emotional or behavioral health disorder, but sadly less than a third receive needed
services (The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, 2003). Children and teens need
services to address mental health issues, and I believe the best place to receive services is
within the education system.
In the Bellingham Community, few sources of mental health support centers for children and
youth have been identified like Catholic Community Services. Catholic Community Services
serves family and children on Medicaid for individual and family counseling, medication
evaluation, care coordination with care physicians and case management (Catholic Community
Services of Western Washington, n.d.). While services and organizations in the community can
help provide some services to youth, they lack the availability and direct contact with children
and teens that a new program in schools could provide. This gap of services could be filled by
creating and placing a collaborative and supportive program in schools by placing health
providers and social workers in the school district to give students mental health services, while
educating and training teachers and staff techniques to educating students with mental health
problems and providing parents and families with resources.

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Systems Thinking Theory

According to Netting, OConnor and Fauri (2008), understanding and applying theory to
program plans can help to measure the quality of implementation and how successful the end
results of the program plan was to the gap of services (p.85). To incorporate this thinking into
my program plan, I used systems thinking theory to create a program plan to add mental health
services in the Bellingham School district for children and youth. Systems thinking theory helps
to understand how the interactive parts of a system can build and influence larger system; it
shows the interconnectedness of a system. System thinking is a common theory for undergoing
change. In my program plan, I used systems thinking to recognize all the factors that could
influence the program plan such as the relationships between students, teachers, and parents,
how funding influences the ability of a program, and what services already existence in the
community. Using systems thinking theory helps to understand all the possible scenarios in
advance and plan for contingencies that could arise along the way, (Netting, OConnor & Fauri,
2008, p.105). Systems thinking theory helped to frame my program plan and expand my ideas
to include all factors and understand those factors can influence the quality of the program.
Intervention
To fill this gap of services, I recommend creating a new program that includes early
intervention, collaborative and interactive relationships between health care providers and
social workers into the school district to connect and education teachers. Teachers paired with
training, handouts and support can help students who are living with a mental health issues

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excel in school by using better techniques of teaching and referring students to the health care
providers. Social workers and health care providers can provide students access to services
such as counseling, support groups and help students feel supported and aware of services.
Through this program, parents will feel supported and educated by receiving information and
help for their students with mental health issues. Overall this program will help connect
students and parents to educated teachers and professional service providers and social
workers who can help address the mental health problems many children and teens are facing
today in schools.
This trial program will target differently aged students at one elementary, middle and high
school. The schools will feed into each other creating a constant contact for students moving up
in grades. Ages will vary from six to eighteen years of age. The three schools will be located in
the Bellingham School district in Bellingham Washington. This target population will include
students from diverse background including different first languages, ability, socioeconomic
status, ethnicity, sexual orientation and level of parental education. To create this program,
collaboration between community organizations and the school district will be vital.
Community partnerships include Sea Mar Behavioral Health Center, NAMI of Whatcom County,
Catholic Community Services, Compass Health, Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement
(WAHA), and the Bellingham Public school Family Resource Center. All of these partners have
experience of providing mental health services or can provide information and referrals. This
program plan relies heavily on community partners to supply collaborative support in schools.

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Logic Model for Mental Health Services in Schools

Resources

Activities

Outcomes

Overarching Goal

In order to accomplish
our set of activities we
will need the following

In order to address our problem

or asset we will accomplish the
following activities

We expect that if accomplished,

these activities will lead to the
following changes

We expect that if accomplished,

these activities will lead to this
goal and have this impact

Create Community
Partnerships with
organizations and
health care
providers
Apply for grant: To
help pay social
worker in school

Mental health education

and training for teachers
and staff
Create new position in
school-Community Health
Outreach Staff-who will be
a connector of services,
students & parents
Incorporate social worker
and health care service
providers in the school
district

Create information
packets to give
parents and
Start talking about mental
students
Reserve
space/room to
hold support
group, meetings
and workshops

health issues in school with

students to break
stereotypes-Create support
groups and individual
counseling
Create and plan mental
health fair for students,
parents, and community
members

Students with mental health

problems will be supported in
schools through teachers,
social workers, and health
care providers
Teachers and staff will be
able to identify students who
need mental health services
and help to make the
classroom a healthy
environment
More support and
information for parents from
school district

Increase mental health

services and early
intervention for
students and improve
school and community
environments for
teachers, parents and
community members
through training and
education.

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Logic Model
This logic model highlights the resources needed to create the activities that will help create
outcomes to bring larger overarching results to the problem. This program has three main
goals: provide services for students through supports groups, individual counseling, and to start
conversations surrounding mental health. Second, educate and train teachers about early
intervention and how to create a healthy learning environment for students with mental health
issues. Third, create a community of networks and individuals at schools such as community
partners and health care providers to give support to parents who need help to navigate system
and provide information. The mental health fair is a way to connect all three goals by hosting an
event that involves students, parents, community organizations and teachers to learn together
and support each other through activities, workshops and discussions during the mental health
fair. This program will look different for every child in the schools since there is wide variety of
ages. But no matter what age, this program will strive to bring support and services to schools
for students who struggle with mental health problems.
Implementation of Intervention

Time Line of Activities

First Month of Plan

Apply for Federal Grant $75,000

Build partnerships with health care providers and social workers in the community
Start the conversation with teachers and staff about new program, start getting people
on the same page of ideas
Create a pre-plan survey for students to distribution in trial schools

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Second Month of Plan

Have a conversation with parents and families about what services and information
would benefit their children the most-Speak at WTA meeting and online survey
Test pre-plan survey on a wide range of ages and make corrections
From said partnerships, create memorandum of agreements to establish services

Third Month of Plan

Grant is accepted! Interview and hire one social worker for the three schools
Train social worker-new staff title: Community Health Outreach Staff
Start building information packets for parents
Distribute surveys in schools-from surveys collected start gaining information about
what services, supports groups and help is needed-each school will have a different
need and focus area
Create a clear plan of actions for community partners and create positions at the
schools for health care providers-this will help everyone know what they are doing
Create a planning committee consisting of the community health outreach staff, health
care providers, community organizations, teachers and parent representatives

Fourth Month of Plan

Training workshop for teachers and staff for mental health education
At a planning committee,
-Select dates for support groups, meetings, and workshops in schools
-Reserve space and rooms for support groups, meetings and workshops
-Plan outreach events in community and school district

Fifth Month of Plan

Start the initial services in the three schools! Place the program in schools.
Committee starts to plan mental health fair
-Select date
-Find key note speaker
-Plan activities
-Find funding source
-Advertise in schools and community
-Find sponsors from community network
Send home with students information packets for parents and family members
Start Support Groups and individual counseling

Sixth Month of Plan

Supply teachers and staff with monthly information and fact sheets about mental health

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Check in with students using services and adjust any problems

Eighth Month of Plan

Host Mental Health Fair, invite students, parents, families, community members,
organizations
-Have age appropriative activities and workshops for students
-Have parent and family workshops like How to identify Depression in Children or
Lets Improve Parent and Child Communication

Eleventh Month of Plan

Create and distribute post-survey to all students who have been in schools to check how
services are making a difference in individuals and overall education of mental health
Check in with teachers, staff, service providers and anyone involved in program, make
adjustments if needed

One Year of Plan

Program Plan is providing students with early intervention of services from teachers,
social worker and service providers. Students are learning about mental health and
supporting others. Parents have a place to go for information and teachers feel more
conformable in providing resources and education to students with mental health.

One Year & Six Month of Plan

Program Plan is expanding to other schools in the Bellingham School district!

Budget
See attachment for budget.

Challenges in the Program Plan

Once the program plan has been in effect in schools, there are some expected challenges that
will occur. One challenge that might occur is around the number and age of students in the
three schools. Since the age of students range from six to eighteen years of age, younger
students might need fewer services than older students who may require more help. Since this
is a trial plan, we might find out that services are only needed in middle and high schools, not in

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elementary schools. Another challenge will be working with teachers in the schools. Since
teachers already have their schedules full of standards, exams and pressures from the school
district, there might be some resistance to taking on more responsibility and attending
trainings. This might slow down the timeline if teachers are unsupportive of services in schools.
Overall, more challenges could arise during the course of this program plan.
Evaluation of the Program Plan
As examined in the Needs Assessment (Cozzetto, 2015), evaluation of this program is important
and helps reflect how the program is working. To evaluate this program, students in the three
schools will be asked to participate in a pre-program survey to establish a baseline. Questions
will be age appropriate and focus on the individuals mental health, how they handle stress or
difficult situations, family life and basic knowledge about mental health. Questions will be
tested on a small focus group to see how students perceive and answer questions. After
eleventh months of the program in placed, a post survey will be passed out to gage and
measure the impact the program has in schools. Open communication between teachers, social
worker, health care partners, and organizations in the community will also help to adjust and
make changes during the course of the program. The logic model helps to narrow the outcomes
of the program and to focus on the area where change is needed in the community to serve
children and youth with mental health issues. Overall, this program plan has the potential to
impact the larger community through the addition of mental health services in schools for
students.

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References
Catholic Community Services of Western Washington. (n.d.) Community Mental Health.
Retrieved from
http://www.ccsww.org/site/PageServer?pagename=families_communitymentalhealth
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. (2003). Caring for kids [Brochure].
Washington, DC: Health in Schools. Retrieved from
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/CaringForKids.pdf
Cozzetto, O. (2014). Needs assessment: A look into mental health services for youth in
Whatcom County (Unpublished essay). Western Washington University, Bellingham,
Washington.
Netting, F. E., OConnor, M. K., & Fauri, D. P. (2008). Comparative approaches to program
planning. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.