Mental Health Services

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, make choices, and also influences our ability to learn. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. In alignment with the mission of the Student Services Department all mental health efforts conducted within MCSS aim to Engage, Encourage, and Empower all students to develop and maintain healthy mental health practices.

MCSS Approach to Mental Health Awareness:

• MCSS Mental Health Awareness and Response Team includes a Mental Health Services Coordinator who assesses, develops, and monitors mental health services and initiatives available to our students and their families.
   
• A Three-Tiered Approach to Mental Health:
  • Tier 1 provides social emotional learning and mental health awareness for all students
  • Tier 2 provides individualized intervention in response to needs expressed by students
  • Tier 3 provides crisis response and follow-up for students experiencing mental health challenges
      
• Response to Intervention (RTI) Teams that identify and support students with emotional and behavioral needs.
   
• School Social Workers who are trained mental health professionals with specialized training to empower and ensure that the needs of students and their families are met.
   
• School Counselors provide classroom lessons on social-emotional learning, character education, peer relationships, and healthy coping skills and facilitate referrals for clinical services with our agency partners.
   
• Partnerships with The Nova Center and The Enrichment Center’s School-Based Therapy programs that provide group and individual therapy to students at their local school during the school day.
• Suicide prevention training is a requirement for all  employees.
   
• A suicide protocol and crisis intervention plan to address students who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
   
• Offers Youth Mental Health First Aid Training to employees.

What is Mental Illness?
A mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function. A mental illness can make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life, such as at school or work or in relationships.

The Caring House 
Call 256.650.1212 or 888.619.8000
Provides a safe place for youth ages 3-18 and their families to cope with the death of a loved one and share their grief experiences with others

Children’s Grief Support
For more information please call (256) 650-1212 or visit Hospice Family Care.

Suicide Prevention
If you or someone you are concerned about is in immediate danger, CALL 911; National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255