UNMC
Students in three rural Nebraska school districts have greater access to vital in-school behavioral health services, thanks to a project supported by the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska American Rescue Plan Act Awards Program.
South Sioux City-based Heartland Counseling Services has successfully placed full-time therapists in three Northeast Nebraska school districts, directly benefiting students and addressing their behavioral health needs.
One full-time therapist, Lora Heithold, is based at Wayne Elementary School, while another therapist, Kristi Roeber, divides her time between Pender and Emerson-Hubbard schools.
“The nice thing about this is that the students don’t have to leave school to get services,” said Jennifer Jackson, Heartland’s executive director. “This eliminates the need for families to drive an hour or more one way to see a therapist.”
In-school access fosters better integration between students’ academic and emotional well-being, as therapists work closely with teachers and staff to support student needs, administrators said.
“Lora is really part of our team at the school,” said Andi Diediker, principal of third through sixth grades at Wayne Elementary, part of the Wayne Community School District. “She sits in on meetings and offers ideas on how to help the students. Having her here with us helps create a more seamless environment than if students had to see therapists outside of school.”
From her office at Wayne Elementary, Heithold provides mental health services to about 40 students each week. Roeber serves students three days a week in the Pender Public School District, and two days a week in the Emerson-Hubbard Community School District. Between the two districts, she sees approximately 40 students each week, as well.
Both therapists focus on helping students with behavioral health issues, which differs from the more academic-focused issues that school counselors typically help students address. Heithold and Roeber said the most common issues they help students with are anxiety and depression. Roeber said helping students build coping skills to manage their emotions is a key aspect of her work.
“Many kids put a tremendous amount of pressure on themselves,” Roeber said. “A major focus of my work is helping them develop skills to manage their feelings and have a voice in how their anxiety or depression impacts their lives.”
The impact on students has been noticeable, school administrators said. Improved outcomes for a single student can have a ripple effect, positively influencing the overall classroom dynamic, said Courtney Maas, principal for kindergarten through second grade at Wayne Elementary.
When a student’s behavioral health improves, that student is less likely to have issues that can distract others, which creates a better environment for everyone, Maas said.
Increasing behavioral health care access in Nebraska’s rural areas through this project and others is one of the most rewarding aspects of the BHECN-ARPA Awards Program, said Marley Doyle, MD, director of BHECN, which is housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
“Many behavioral health issues and conditions were exacerbated by the pandemic, and our state’s children certainly felt the impact,” Dr. Doyle said. “It’s great to see Heartland using ARPA dollars to directly address this and increase access for students in these rural communities where access has historically been very limited.”