***Student’s name has been changed for privacy.
John, a student at Lake Dallas MS, was first referred to CISNT by his counselor at the beginning of the school year. John has had trouble dealing with both grief and stress as his father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. This has weighed heavily on him, and he has struggled with controlling his emotions, especially anger. John would act out at home or show signs of extreme stress at school. He would leave class frequently or request to see his counselor multiple times a day. John found it difficult to focus and pay attention in class and would sometimes distract the rest of his peers.
Ms. Lizbeth Morales, CIS Site Coordinator at LDMS, placed John in the CIS 6th grade lunch group. John started to come to the CIS room for any conflict resolution support, and uses the CIS room as a cool down space when he is upset or feeling overwhelmed. He even eats lunch in the CIS room Monday through Thursday. Ms. Morales also recognized that John needed additional mental health support and referred John to one of the CISNT Mental Health Coordinators (MHC) to receive free, professional counseling services at school.
John met with the MHC once a week for 9 weeks. During their time together, they discussed coping methods for anger management, as well as self-regulation. CIS created a safe space for John to express how he was feeling and any struggles he may have faced that week. John looked forward to his sessions every week, and would even check into the CIS room earlier in the day to make sure the MHC would be here.
John is no longer leaving class multiple times a day. He used to spend a lot of time in the counselor’s corner, and since attending sessions with the MHC, he has not needed to go to the counselor anymore. If he feels overwhelmed, John goes to the CIS room to cool down and is able to get into the right headspace before going back to class. John has recognized his own improvement, but he has also mentioned how he wants to continue working on anger management as this is what he struggles the most with. His mom has also expressed an improvement in his behavior since he has received services.
Ms. Morales says, “I think the biggest outcome has been his improvement in self-regulation at school. Being able to provide the weekly services with the MHC, John knew no matter what he went through that week he was going to be provided with the time to talk it through with the MHC.” She also is proud to share that John has shown improvement in anger management. While some days are harder than others, John has been able to work on the skills he practiced with the MHC, and has found a safe place at CIS where he can continue to improve.
CIS has seen an increase in students needing mental health support since the pandemic and we are so grateful John has found the support he needed through on-campus mental health services provided by CIS. CISNT believes every student deserves a safe place to learn and grown and thanks to Ms. Morales and the CISNT Mental Health Coordinator, CIS has become a safe place for John.
