A School-Based Mental Health Program

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A School-Based Mental Health Program

• Presented by Jennifer Fonseca

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Purpose

• To evaluate the availability and the needs of a
  school-based mental health program in two
  inner-city Chicago schools.

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Research Question

• What are the availabilities and the needs of a
  school-based mental health program as perceived
  by the school mental health center staff?

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Setting

• Two Urban Elementary Schools
• -Henry Suder Elementary School
• -Smyth Joyner Elementary School
• Both located on the Near West Side of Chicago
• Each surrounded by public housing
• -Henry Horner Housing Development
• -ABLA Public Housing

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ABLA Public Housing(Addams, Brooks, Loomis, and
Abbott)
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The Henry Horner Homes on the Near West Side of
Chicago
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Participants

• Henry Suder Elementary School Staff
• Smyth Joyner Elementary School Staff
• University of Illinois at Chicago Staff

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What is the STARS program?

• Student Therapeutic Activities and Resources
  Services (STARS)
• Helps child talk about fears, worries, and issues
  that might be causing trouble in school, getting
  along with others, and following rules

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Available Services Provided by the STARS Program

• Individual student counseling
• Class room observations
• Individual talk sessions
• Family counseling
• Guidance counseling
• Play Therapy
• Anger Management
• Stress Management

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Methodology

• A survey tool was used to guide a face-to-face
  interview with 10 staff members from the mental
  health program
• Open-ended and close-ended questions were
  organized
• Data was analyzed by using simple descriptive
  statistics

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Assumptions

• Faculty and staff are very familiar with the
  STARS program
• Faculty and staff have had children who have
  shown behavioral problems in their classrooms

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Limitations

• Most of the faculty and staff at the schools are
  off during summer
• Some faculty only taught during the summer and
  were not very familiar with the program
• The mental health program (STARS) is fairly new

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Results

• Time mental health program has been in schools
• - 2 years
• Contributing factors causing children to show
  behavioral problems in classroom
• -Limited Community
  -Excessive Television
• Resources (70)
  Watching (90)
• -Lack of Parental
  -Genetics (50)
• Supervision (100)
  -Exposure to Neighborhood
• -Poor Nutrition (70)
  Violence (90)
• -Other (50)

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Results (contd)

• Behavioral concerns of children in the classroom
• -Difficulty Sustaining
  -Leaves seat in classroom when
  
• Tasks (90)
  told not to (70)
• -Does not seem to listen
  -Talks excessively (70)
• when spoken to (50)
  -Blurts out answers (80)
• -Does not follow
  -Other (20)
• instructions (60)
• Average amount of teachers who have had a child
  or children participate in the program at these
  schools
• - 70

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Results (contd)

• Behavioral changes in children who have
  participated in the program
• -Great Improvement Overall ( 70)
• -Others did not answer
• As perceived by faculty, were students meeting
  their needs through the program?
• -Yes ( 70)
• -Others were not applicable

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Results (contd)

• Needs for the Program
• -More students need to participate in the
  program but have limitations such as no insurance
• -More interaction with parents, teachers,
  and health service officials
• -Some students need to be seen more often

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Discussion

• Faculty members agree that the STARS mental
  health program in both schools has shown positive
  impact on children in need
• Plans for expanding program into other urban
  schools in underserved communities

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Cynthia Barnes-Boyd
• Mentor
• Dr. Barbara Preib-Lannon
• Facilitator of STARS
• program
• SROP Staff