Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) is one of California’s largest school districts—with 3,100 educators, administrators, and support staff serving nearly 29,000 students in Contra Costa County. It is comprised of more than 50 school sites, including elementary schools, middle and high schools, alternative schools, and adult education schools, with diverse student bodies and student mental health needs.

MDUSD prioritizes mental health and social-emotional learning. The district is fortunate to have seven wellness centers staffed by social work specialists and master of social work interns. These centers offer safe spaces for students and their families to access services that support their academic, emotional, and social well-being.

They also offer specialized counseling and therapeutic services, including special education classes, mental health therapy, and case management, for students who need extra support. Beth Dela Cruz, Ed.D., is an Education Specialist working with MDUSD students as a Special Day Class Teacher for their Behavioral, Academic, Social Emotional Supports (SEEC) program.

“I’m a teacher, but I’m also a mother. I tell my students that I consider them my own children…I’m so happy there are students who trust me and open up to me so I can help them,” said Beth.

Educating Educators

In addition to offering these wellness centers and CST, all MDUSD staff take professional development courses to stay up to date on trauma-informed approaches. These courses help educators and staff members understand how trauma can impact students’ learning, behavior, and overall well-being. By using trauma-informed strategies, staff can create more supportive and empathetic school environments.

MDUSD emphasizes the importance of understanding the diverse needs of students, particularly those who have experienced trauma, to better address their emotional, social, and academic needs in a holistic way.

 Prioritizing Trauma-Informed Approaches

 When MDUSD learned of the Office of the California Surgeon General’s free Safe Spaces trauma-informed training, the district was eager to utilize it. The online training, which was made possible with funding from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), helps individuals recognize and respond to signs of trauma and stress in children and youth. Just as important, it emphasizes the value of self-care and skills for adults to self-regulate so they can be available to help students who may be struggling. All of the mental health staff at MDUSD have received the training and it is available and encouraged districtwide for all staff.

Jessica Pozos, Assistant Director of Mental Health Programs at MDUSD, is a firm believer in prioritizing mental health for the staff with whom she collaborates.

“There are times when it’s time to start a meeting and I say, ‘No, we can’t.’ We must pause and do something for ourselves—whether it’s going for a walk, having lunch, and laughing. Laughter is something we try to emphasize at MDUSD, especially during more challenging days and weeks,” said Jessica.

 By providing this training district-wide, the district is enabling its staff to understand Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and recognize how the toxic stress ACEs can impact a student’s ability to learn and develop. Having the tools and resources to not only recognize these impacts but respond in a trauma-informed manner can have a significant positive impact on both students and staff.

When all staff members are equipped with trauma-informed strategies, the entire school environment becomes more responsive to students’ diverse needs, fostering greater trust, safety, and academic success.

 “It’s important for teachers to know how to support kids holistically. We play dual roles. As a therapist, I recognize it’s not my classroom, so the more teachers who have those skills and work with us to understand student triggers, the more students feel safe and supported,” said Michael Moses, Behavioral Health Specialist at MDUSD.

The Clinic Goes to School

MSUSD is implementing a suite of CYBHI programs to support its students. For example, MSUSD participates in the CYBHI Fee Schedule programwhich requires Medi-Cal and commercial health plans, as well as disability insurers, to reimburse school-linked providers for outpatient mental health or substance use disorder services rendered to students 25 years of age or younger at or near a school site.

MDUSD is participating in the second cohort of the CYBHI Fee Schedule program and, thankfully, has a head start; it has already worked with electronic health records (EHR) to streamline data collection and enable billing for school-based services.

Wendi Aghily, Ed.D., Chief of Pupil Services and Special Education at MDUSD, is happy to see that the state is investing in an approach that takes the concept of braided funding a step further. A braided program is an educational or support program that combines or “braids” together multiple funding sources, services, or strategies to support a variety of needs within a community or school district. The idea is to weave together resources from different sectors to create a comprehensive and holistic support system for students.

“The [CYBHI Fee Schedule program] is an exceptional model of braided programs versus just braided funding because there are so many ways we can support students by leveraging private and district services. It would have been easy for the state to say to the districts, ‘Here is this pot of money. Do what you can to serve children,’ but that’s not what they did. They tried to braid educational services, mental health support, and community partnerships into a unified, sustainable system to address a variety of student needs,” said Wendi.

Normalizing Seeking Support

Jessica shared that it’s been eye-opening to see students, who may not have received mental health support services in the past, seek them out or just ask to learn more when they know there is a mental health provider onsite. She’s also noticed an increase in parents learning about the programs and asking how their children can benefit.

This uptick in mental health program utilization helps MDUSD continue supporting and improving the services it offers, reduces the stigma of help-seeking behavior, and emphasizes the importance of prevention district-wide.

“I’ve become more comfortable asking for help. My school has been good at surrounding us with people who understand our needs. They’re giving us what we need when we need it, whether it’s someone to talk to, help with academics, or just time alone,” said Evalina, a 12th grader at MDUSD.

As far as the future is concerned, Wendi shared that hope comes from recognizing that it’s not just the people on the ground looking at mental health support.

 “There are people at the state level who are actively working to identify funding sources and trying to build out mental health support systems. If those doors are open to school districts, we can be more responsive to the kids we serve every day,” said Wendi.

 

To watch more video clips from MDUSD representatives, visit CalHHS’ YouTube Channel.