Chippewa Valley Schools begins Ulliance mental health services Jan. 1
Superintendent Services offered in response to parent survey
Chippewa Valley Schools’ New Year’s resolution is to provide more counseling and mental health services for students, a resolution that will be put into practice on Jan. 1, 2023.
Starting on Jan. 1, the district will execute its partnership with Ulliance. Ulliance offers K-12 school districts ac- cess to counseling and mental health services. Superintendent Ron Roberts said that the district’s decision to obtain the services of Ulliance was in response to a fall parent survey, and was approved by the board of education in the fall. During the survey, parents were asked specific questions regarding their opinions on student mental health by grade level.
“We were considering an outside source to help our community, our school community, with counseling services, if people thought they needed it. We considered Ulliance. So we did our survey, asking the community, this would be our parents, their thoughts on post pandemic mental health status,” Roberts said.
Over 1,300 parents were surveyed on the issue of student mental health, and they showed interest in enhanced school-based support and greater access to student mental health services.
“Really the data came back pretty strong, people thought kids were struggling more emotionally, having gone through the pandemic,” Roberts said.
He also said that parent feedback through the survey indicated that if the district were to use outside services, it would be beneficial for kids in general.
“Plenty of the responses indicated that it was really very overwhelming, that kids just were facing times that are more challenging, and kids needed more support,” Roberts said.
Students will continue to be offered support from school counselors, social workers, teachers and staff. The district is planning to add staff at the high school level to support students. Counselors will be added at Chippewa Valley High School in Clinton Township and Dakota High School in Macomb Township next school year. The district is also seeking to add an additional school social worker at the secondary level, and a student intervention specialist at each of the four district middle schools. The additional resources offered by Ulliance can offer extra support for students who may need it, according to Roberts.
“What this really does offer us is it gives us a more complete model of student support than we had previously,” Roberts said.
The district partnership with Ulliance will offer support to students at no cost to them. Information including phone numbers and links can be found at chippewavalleyschools. org/for-parents/mental-health-services— ulliance .
Ulliance will provide district students with a variety of services, including short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and identification of community resources. According to district information, one service offered through the program is a 24-hour crisis phone line, offered by state-licensed counselors. A student/parent portal including videos, articles and information to address many areas of well-being will also be offered. Another option through the program is short-term mental health services, five sessions offered via phone, secure video or in person.
Students in grades K-12 in the district are eligible to use the program. Parents can access resources on the portal and can call the program to help the student get started. Counseling is offered independent of the district and information is not shared with teachers, administrators or school guidance counselors, unless school involvement is requested. However, school staff can refer students to the Ulliance programs.
Counseling generally takes place after school hours, according to district online information. Roberts said that services are not limited to a school schedule, but that students can reach out for support whenever they feel that they need it, including weekends, breaks and summer. Ulliance will provide 24/7 access to care and counseling services, according to district information.
Information provided by the district online in a frequently asked questions section for parents indicates that when a student calls the 800 number, if they are under age 16, they need a parent or guardian’s consent to speak with a consultant.
Students in emotional crisis can get the help they need immediately via the 800 number. The next step would be connecting a student to a counselor to attend five free counseling sessions, or the student can receive resources, according to district information. If during counseling the problem cannot be resolved in a brief therapy model, the student will be referred outside of the program for longer-term counseling, according to district information. Ulliance has a national network of counselors and providers, with local counselors practicing in Macomb County. Counseling is offered in person, via phone or virtually.
Chippewa Valley Director of School and Community Relations Diane Blain said that the district is funding the program via a state grant called the Mental Health and Safety Funding Grant. Although she did not specify how many students the district has district-wide this school year, she said that the cost of the program is 75 cents per student per month.