Mental health issues seem to be increasing in all grade levels in the North Allegheny School District, and school counselors are working hard to make sure the support is there for students and their families.
As part of a School Counseling Program Review Presentation at the school board meeting Feb. 12, school counselors shared district needs, a review of their department and recommendations.
The presentation was part of an informal internal and external analysis of the counseling department, said Bryan Kiggins, school counselor at North Allegheny Intermediate High School and department chair.
“The internal analysis with the department was just really trying to understand what are our strengths and weaknesses. What are we seeing? Do we need to make some changes?” said Kiggins, adding they also took recommendations from a state-recognized advisory council.
A first step is to increase mental health awareness for families, said Jen Rosato, a counselor at the high school. A districtwide, student-parent survey last May revealed that between 25% to 35% of North Allegheny families do not know how to access school mental health supports available to them, Rosato said.
One universal list with current mental-health community resources and holding informal counselor coffee talks with families can help remedy this issue, she said.
The high schools presently hold coffee talks, but counselors would like to implement them in the lower grades. The first is being held with the middle and elementary schools this spring, Rosato said.
North Allegheny is contracted with Glade Run School-based mental health services for support, but some buildings have waitlists. The counseling department recommends adding on other community mental health supports to supplement the current program.
Counselors shared that students at all grade levels seem to be experiencing anxiety, and they believe the effects of the pandemic are still being felt.
Katie Wisniewski, a school counselor at McKnight Elementary, has even seen an increase in anxiety from kindergarten to fifth grade, which also may be attributed to the pandemic.
“A lot of incoming elementary students did not have exposure to preschool and that introductory piece. The trickle-down effect of that has been pretty significant,” Wisniewski said.
Even at the older levels, the effects of covid have been very difficult, with students struggling with the ability “to dig in and have grit” at school, Kiggins said.
Some students visit the counseling offices daily, whether they’re experiencing panic, anxiety or just wanting to sit and talk.
“We have students in our buildings who really come for just a break,” Rosato said. “Sometimes they want to just talk with us. Sometimes they just need some space.”
Counselors recommend creating spaces in each building as a place for students to decompress.
If a counselor is unavailable, Kiggins recommends working with student assistants and social workers at the school while an administrative assistant gets in touch with them.
Also, in the past six years, in kindergarten through 12th grade, the school counseling department had more than 600 risk assessments done of students experiencing suicide ideation, Rosato said.
“Of those, one-third were moderate to imminent risk. Some of those students needed immediate assistance,” she said.
While the district does have a self-designed evaluation process to identify this risk in students, the counselors recommend adopting the widely used, national Columbia-Suicide Rating Severity Scale to help and evaluate the need and risk of these students more “quickly and accurately,” she said.
In addition to mental health support, counselors also prepare students for life after school, and they propose more research and implementation of a career-readiness curriculum.
Kiggins said not every student needs to be excelling in academics, which also can be a source of stress.
“NA has a culture of success and doing well. We really try to break down those barriers. Not every kid needs to be in honors. Not every kid needs to be in an (advanced placement) course,” Kiggins said.
The counselors help students find the right path that best fit them. Introducing different skills earlier in their school journey helps “kids see their passions at a younger age and keep building on that,” he said. This includes more career exploration in secondary levels in professional, technical and trade fields.
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The department also manages academic and state testing throughout the year.
School board director Leslie Britton Dozier said North Allegheny has a lot to offer.
“Many districts do not have the level of services that we have. I urge our families and our parents to understand that we have really great resources. I, personally, have experienced them. If you reach out, a lot of things can be done to help families. I think we need to communicate this to our families,” she said.
Overall, Kiggins advised students to come in and meet with a counselor sooner than later.
“You have to take a risk. You have to want to give us a shot. Come and talk to us just to get to know us. Set an appointment before something comes up, before a crisis comes up.
“Our numbers are large, but we try to do our best to get out in the classroom,” Kiggins said.