What's Up Wellness Check-Ups
HOW WE CAN HELP. Sponsored by the Nevada County Behavioral Health Department, the Nevada Joint Union High School District Student Assistance Program (SAP) and the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District, What’s Up? Wellness Checkups emotional health teen screenings are being offered at your high school through June 2017.
What is What’s Up?
What’s Up? Wellness Checkups is based on Columbia University's Teen Screen program which screens high school students for suicide risk, depression, substance abuse and other emotional health challenges. In such a critical time as adolescence, we hope to provide initial prevention and support to those students who need it.
How did it start & who is involved?
Almost 10 years ago a group of concerned families and providers in Nevada County began discussing how we could come together and embrace a prevention program that would provide universal, free and confidential emotional health screenings to our teens. Columbia University's TeenScreen program fit the bill for our community. TeenScreen has since changed hands and is now administered by Stanford University. Nevada County Behavioral Health with the support of the Suicide Prevention Task Force found a way to bring this program to our schools in Fall of 2012 with Mental Health Services Act funding. Both the NJUHSD and TTUSD school districts came on board. The team of Galen Ellis, MPH, Shellee Sepko, LMFT and Jen Rhi Winders, MSW were awarded the contract and began screening in Spring of 2013. Currently Shellee and Jen are the active screening team in the schools, with the help of a translator and volunteer screening interns.
How does it work in the schools?
TTUSD: Incoming 9th graders will receive a consent for screening in the mail for students to be screened in the 2016-2017 school year.
Screens are open to any other grade students upon recommendation and parent consent. There are currently three screening staff: Shellee Ann Sepko, LMFT, Jen Rhi Winders, MSW and our volunteer intern Simone Weit.
What services does it provide?
The What’s Up? Wellness Checkup starts with a screen, a one-time meeting that can take between 15 to 45 minutes. It includes a computerized questionnaire and a follow-up interview with What’s Up? staff to provide support, and if needed, referrals for further help.
For those students whose screen indicates the need for further support, What’s Up? staff will notify parents and work to help families identify services that will best meet their teens needs. What’s Up? also will provide time limited casemanagement services to ensure a successful treatment connection.
Upon seeing the strong need in schools for student support with coping with anxiety symptoms, What's Up? Wellness Checkups began offering stress reduction groups in the schools they serve. Groups include Boys group, Mindfulness and Stress Reduction through Music. Group facilitators are currently Chandra Tracy, MFT Intern, Mihai Algiu, MFT Intern, Andrew Werderitsch & Simone Weit, MFT Student.
How can I be sure my student gets screened?
Parent consent forms are required for screening, and should be received by families either via US Mail or on-line enrollment packets with downloadable versions available here. Incoming 9th graders families in NJUHSD should receive a consent form in their enrollment packets this Spring, with screening to begin in Fall 2016. TTUSD 9th grade families will be receiving their consents this fall 2016. We encourage students to return consents to the front desk or their school counselor if they have not been mailed to their school or district office. We accept consents throughout the semester.
Where can I find out more about the program?
Other questions you might have:
Will we be pressured into using medications?
Our program is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical companies. The checkup is NOT a diagnosis. We refer students to a variety of resources including therapists, support groups, church supports, physicians and psychologists.
Will everyone at the school find out about this?
We hold to strict school and state confidentiality standards. We are not affiliated with the schools, although we have a cooperative agreement to be on campus screening. We do not share your teens screen results with any school staff without written parental consent.
My child seems fine, why should I bother?
Your teen can serve as a role model for their friends. After the screen, they may be able to let a friend they are concerned about that the screening process exists, and share their experiences, helping to normalize the screen for all teens. The reality is, the more students we screen, the more likely we are able to continue to bring this service to our schools, in turn finding the students who truly need help.
My child is already getting help, should they still get screened?
If your teen is already getting help, the screen can support those services by offering a current snapshot of their emotional health that with parental permission can be given to their treatment provider. Again, we encourage all youth to get screened, as it normalizes the importance of mental health checkups. Just as we check annually for vision and hearing, we can send the message that it is equally as critical to check on emotional health.
What is What’s Up?
What’s Up? Wellness Checkups is based on Columbia University's Teen Screen program which screens high school students for suicide risk, depression, substance abuse and other emotional health challenges. In such a critical time as adolescence, we hope to provide initial prevention and support to those students who need it.
How did it start & who is involved?
Almost 10 years ago a group of concerned families and providers in Nevada County began discussing how we could come together and embrace a prevention program that would provide universal, free and confidential emotional health screenings to our teens. Columbia University's TeenScreen program fit the bill for our community. TeenScreen has since changed hands and is now administered by Stanford University. Nevada County Behavioral Health with the support of the Suicide Prevention Task Force found a way to bring this program to our schools in Fall of 2012 with Mental Health Services Act funding. Both the NJUHSD and TTUSD school districts came on board. The team of Galen Ellis, MPH, Shellee Sepko, LMFT and Jen Rhi Winders, MSW were awarded the contract and began screening in Spring of 2013. Currently Shellee and Jen are the active screening team in the schools, with the help of a translator and volunteer screening interns.
How does it work in the schools?
TTUSD: Incoming 9th graders will receive a consent for screening in the mail for students to be screened in the 2016-2017 school year.
Screens are open to any other grade students upon recommendation and parent consent. There are currently three screening staff: Shellee Ann Sepko, LMFT, Jen Rhi Winders, MSW and our volunteer intern Simone Weit.
What services does it provide?
The What’s Up? Wellness Checkup starts with a screen, a one-time meeting that can take between 15 to 45 minutes. It includes a computerized questionnaire and a follow-up interview with What’s Up? staff to provide support, and if needed, referrals for further help.
For those students whose screen indicates the need for further support, What’s Up? staff will notify parents and work to help families identify services that will best meet their teens needs. What’s Up? also will provide time limited casemanagement services to ensure a successful treatment connection.
Upon seeing the strong need in schools for student support with coping with anxiety symptoms, What's Up? Wellness Checkups began offering stress reduction groups in the schools they serve. Groups include Boys group, Mindfulness and Stress Reduction through Music. Group facilitators are currently Chandra Tracy, MFT Intern, Mihai Algiu, MFT Intern, Andrew Werderitsch & Simone Weit, MFT Student.
How can I be sure my student gets screened?
Parent consent forms are required for screening, and should be received by families either via US Mail or on-line enrollment packets with downloadable versions available here. Incoming 9th graders families in NJUHSD should receive a consent form in their enrollment packets this Spring, with screening to begin in Fall 2016. TTUSD 9th grade families will be receiving their consents this fall 2016. We encourage students to return consents to the front desk or their school counselor if they have not been mailed to their school or district office. We accept consents throughout the semester.
Where can I find out more about the program?
Other questions you might have:
Will we be pressured into using medications?
Our program is not affiliated with any pharmaceutical companies. The checkup is NOT a diagnosis. We refer students to a variety of resources including therapists, support groups, church supports, physicians and psychologists.
Will everyone at the school find out about this?
We hold to strict school and state confidentiality standards. We are not affiliated with the schools, although we have a cooperative agreement to be on campus screening. We do not share your teens screen results with any school staff without written parental consent.
My child seems fine, why should I bother?
Your teen can serve as a role model for their friends. After the screen, they may be able to let a friend they are concerned about that the screening process exists, and share their experiences, helping to normalize the screen for all teens. The reality is, the more students we screen, the more likely we are able to continue to bring this service to our schools, in turn finding the students who truly need help.
My child is already getting help, should they still get screened?
If your teen is already getting help, the screen can support those services by offering a current snapshot of their emotional health that with parental permission can be given to their treatment provider. Again, we encourage all youth to get screened, as it normalizes the importance of mental health checkups. Just as we check annually for vision and hearing, we can send the message that it is equally as critical to check on emotional health.
