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Integrating Mental Health, Wellness, and Social Emotional Learning Within MTSS

Kym Asam, BEST Technical Assistant, Coach and Trainer

Heather Freeman, OSSU Director of Student Services

Kelly Locke, OSSU Assistant Director of Student Services

Materials at: https://www.pbisvermont.org/training-resources/vtpbis-annual-forum/

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Opening

Grounding and Reflection:

What is something you are doing or will be doing this year to continue your momentum as an educator?

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Agenda

Opening
Mental Health, SEL, and Wellness within MTSS
Ensuring Equity
Wellness for Adults
Systems for Integration
SEL Practices that Promote MH
Data Needed for Effective Implementation
OSSU and Their Journey of Integration!
Discussion and Next Steps

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All Students -- All Needs�A Preventative Approach

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Meet needs of the whole child:

Behavior
Social Emotional
Academics
Mental Wellness

Through These Lenses:

Trauma informed
Culturally responsive
Restorative Approaches
Equitable practices

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Frameworks

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The PBIS Framework

SYSTEMS

PRACTICES

DATA

Supporting

Staff Behavior

Supporting

Decision

Making

Supporting

Student Behavior

EQUITY

Evidence-based
Smallest effort
Biggest, durable effect

Social competence & Academic achievement

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The CASEL SEL Framework

SEL Learning Target Examples

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Key Messages

1. �Single System of Delivery

2. �Access is NOT enough

3. �Mental Health is �for ALL

4. �MTSS essential to install SMH

One Set of Teams

Success defined by Outcomes

The Integrated MH Framework

ISF draws on the strengths of the PBIS system and School based mental health.

ISF is seen as an enhancement rather than a separate system and focuses on the integration of both.

The four core features of ISF are:

Single system of delivery
Mental health is for all (adults and children)
Access is not enough
MTSS is essential to install SMH

SOC

SMH

MTSS/PBIS

One set of teams that is the single system of delivery for services. Working smarter not harder
Access is not enough – success is defined by outcomes. More than they can access services and show up – how do we know if it is working. Define success by outcomes.
Mental health/wellness access to everyone and is for all. Mental health is everyone’s job. Mental health and wellness for staff and communities as well.
MTSS approach for continuous process of improvement.

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SEL? MH? Wellness? One and the same?

SEL is the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes focusing on self-awareness, self-management, relationship building, social awareness, and responsible decision-making.
Improving SEL skills and attitudes cultivates important “protective factors” to buffer against mental health risks and contributes to mental wellness.
Mental health supports fall on a continuum of care, or a tiered system of evidence-based supports - Universal, Targeted, and Intensive.

CASEL SEL/MH

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Equity in Promoting MH

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Barriers to Educational Equity that Impact Access to Mental Health Support

Poverty
Exclusionary discipline practices & policies
Lack of trauma-informed practices
Implicit bias in staff
Educators’ stress & burnout

(Simmons, et al., 2018)

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Key Factors in Understanding How Equitable Practices Promote MH and SEL

Examine biases

Address inequities: education, health, income, environment

Understand the root causes of inequities (structural & internalized oppression)

Interrupt inequitable practices

(Jagers, 2018)

Tendency to employ student skill development-focused SEL programs in low-resourced schools to address “discipline” problems. It is more than just identifying SEL curriculum and implementing. It is noticing these other elements as well.

“Most forms of SEL are necessary, but not sufficient to advance an equitable multicultural, multilingual society & global community.” Jagers, 2018

To effectively promote mental health equity, provision of culturally responsive practices is essential. Understanding and respecting cultural and individual differences and actively learning about the nuances of different cultures, ethnicities, and communities builds trust, rapport and relationships

Who are we in the work and how do we examine when our biases get activated?

Using our influence to notice, name and act to address inequities (building based, SU/SD, Legislature, etc.).

Heighten our awareness and no it is not individually based but societally.

Notice and stop practices we are doing or our colleagues are doing (Example of guys). Example of students out of hte classroom. Looking at data for disproporionality

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Leveraging SEL and MH Practices to Promote Equity

Connecting content to students' lives to encourage student reflection
Cultural integration
Promoting racial/ethnic identity development
Integrating equity content into academic subject areas

Mental health for ALL!
Equal access to MH prevention and intervention
MH lens part of all systems, practices, and data
Provide MH interventions that are culturally responsive
Ensure screening tools are culturally responsive

(Jagers, 2018)

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Questions to Consider

Is our SEL curriculum designed to serve ALL students no matter their race, gender, income level, or ability by personalizing learning to their unique needs?
Do students see themselves represented in the SEL curriculum?
How does my teaching and learning help students learn about themselves and others?
How does my teaching and learning help students to understand power, equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression?

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Building a Culture of Wellness for Adults

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Overarching Principle: It Starts with Us

SAFETY AND SECURITY

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Tiered Framework for Building Resilience

Building a Culture of Staff Wellness Using a MTSS Approach

educator wellness: a whole school approach to improve staff stress and retention and student achievement

Focused for too long on the individual responsibility for wellness and resilience. Finally as a community of providers/educators/caregivers Shift language to co care or community care – how can we enhance building our communities to shift the focus from what you need to do to what we need to do. It is analogous with what happened to you vs what is wrong with you. Micro moments of wellness throughout the day to invite wellness and reflection. We have a responsibility to address wellness organizationally as well as individually. When you think about your own wellness, take a moment to think who else needs to be in the room with you. Spouse, partner, friend, pet, parent, etc.

I remember years ago working with an administrator and at the end of our meeting, in the gym there was a zumba instructor with two staff participating.

Put in chat resources to support educators. https://www.pbisvermont.org/resource-to-support-educators-2021-22/

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Questions to Consider

What social/emotional/wellness/resilience supports

do staff need (ALL staff)?

What role can your PBIS team play in assessing/providing supports? Feedback and Input Surveys, School Climate Survey
How do staff know what supports are available?

How can you build:

Relationships, connections, + relational trust between staff (when they may not see each other during the day)
Collaborative opportunities
Opportunities for reflection?
Staff recognition (and self-acknowledgement)

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Systems

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Focus on Integrated Systems

Big Ideas

Make SEL and MH Supports a Priority
Integrated Teaming structures
Family/Caregiver and Student Engagement
Professional Development
Request for Assistance
Rethinking MH Roles
Aligning with Community Resources and Supports
Always using data to inform systems changes.

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MTSS Framework is Priority for Embedding MH

Implementing the cores features of MTSS with fidelity is key to integrating MH supports at all tiers

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Teaming Structures - Tier 1

Multi-disciplinary team focusing on all staff, all students, and all settings.

Ideally Includes MH rep from community agency
Student and family/caregiver voice/involvement/participation
Conducts universal school and community needs assessment and resource mapping
Monitors universal practices and outcomes across school and community
Plans school and community professional development
Develops screening process for early identification of students

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Teaming Structures - Tiers 2 & 3

Multi-disciplinary teams that coordinate and monitor progress of all students needing Tier 2/3 supports

Ideally includes MH rep from community agency
Student and family/caregiver voice/involvement/participation
Identifies students who need additional interventions via data review, data decisions, or request for assistance from home or school;
Reviews number of and fidelity of interventions, number of students in interventions, and number of students progressing in interventions

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The Role of the School-Based MH Clinician at All Three Tiers

Coaching/Consultation

Coaching/Coordination

Coaching/Facilitation

Changing Role of Staff Discussion Guide

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Questions to Consider

What team(s) has been holding this work?

Has your PBIS Team been involved in planning for SEL and MH Support?
Does your team have a MH representative?

Have all voices been represented during planning?
Does the team have what they need in order to do this work?
Are you sending/receiving messages about SEL and MH as a priority?
To what extent are you aligning with community resources?
Do you have an up-to-date action plan with clear SEL/MH goals?

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Practices

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Thinking and Practicing Universally First

Utilizing SEL and MH practices to enhance relationships

Focusing on community, connections and classroom culture

Morning meeting, daily check-in, The First Five

Contextual Stress, Contextual Intervention

High Leverage Universal Practices

SEL and MH expertise in the classroom
Integrate Academic and Behavior Supports

Classroom Integrated Academics and Behavior Brief

Students and families as allies
Always using data to inform changes in practices

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Integrating SEL into your Teaching Matrix

	Self-Awareness	Self-Management	Social Awareness	Relationship Skills	Responsible Decision-Making
Safe	Notice where your body is	Stop and think before you act	Identify how your words and actions affect others	Use words and actions that help others feel safe and included	Leave/get help when a situation is unsafe
Respectful	Use positive self-talk when things are hard	Use kind words, tone, and face	Treat others the way they want to be treated	Show empathy and compassion to others	Be an upstander for yourself and others
Responsible	Ask for help when you need it	Use your strategies to help yourself be ready to learn	Recognize when a situation is unfair to others	Solve conflicts by attacking the problem not the person	Take action to solve problems

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Layered Daily Progress Report (DPR)

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Evidence-Based MH and SEL Practices

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Intervention:	Target Population:	Evidenced to Address:
Second Step	Grades K-6	Prosocial skills Violence prevention
Botvin Life Skills	Grades 7-12	Prosocial skills Substance use prevention
Support for Students Exposed to Trauma	Grades 4-9	Address impact of trauma
Check In, Check Out	Grades K-12	Reteach expectations, increased adult attention
Small group instruction of needed skills (social, coping, problem solving)	Grades K-12	Reteach lessons from curriculum available at T1
MATCH-ADTC (anxiety, depression, trauma, conduct)	Grades K-12	Modular approach to address less intense presenting problems
Coping Cat	Grades 2-8	Address impact of anxiety
Bounce Back	Grades K-5	Address impact of trauma
SPARCS	Grades 6-12	Address impact of trauma
Aggression Replacement Training	Grades 6-12	Address physical aggression
TF-CBT	Grades K-12	Address impact of trauma

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Questions to Consider

How can you develop strong classroom communities?
How can you teach, prompt for, and acknowledge agreed upon behaviors?
How will you know which students/families have strong relationships with staff and staff have strong relationships with each other?
How can you ensure staff, students, and families feel safe, both physically and emotionally?
How do you ensure SEL and mental health expertise is accessed in the classroom?
How do the ways we respond to interfering behaviors contribute to development or damaging of relationships?
How can you integrate SEL into all academic lessons?

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Data

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Questions to Consider?

Do we have a problem? If so, what is the precise nature of our problem? (identify, define, clarify, confirm/disconfirm inferences)
What additional data sources do we need to consult and understand?
What is our goal? How will we know we’ve met our goal? (what data will we use?)
Why does the problem exist, & what can we do about it? (hypothesis & solution)
What are the actual elements of our plan? (action plan)
Is our plan being implemented with fidelity & is it working? (evaluate & revise plan)
What next steps are needed?

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Heather Freeman, Director of Student Support Services

Kelly Locke, Assistant Director of Student Support Services

Our Journey to Intentionally Integrating Mental Health & PBIS

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It started way back in 2009….

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2013

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2014

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2018

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COVID

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Heather - With all of that work in regards to staff wellness, it became crystal clear that we needed a team of folks that could work together to help OSSU transform our disconnected and siloed system of “curriculum” and “special education” into a solid Multi-Tiered System of Supports at the SU level which would support all the staff and students across the entire SU in an equitable way. Project AWARE gave us the resources to have an ISF Grant Coordinator, we choose the year after COVID to make it an SU wide PBIS Coach. Additionally, because of the onset of Act 173, we proposed to our Board the necessity of an MTSS Coordinator at the SU level (which was funded through local special education dollars). These two positions became the link that brought “curriculum” and “special education” together in a way that had never been done before in OSSU. The following year, it was abundantly clear that the ISF Grant Coordinator/PBIS Coach, was really an MTSS Coach.

Kelly - When we developed the position of MTSS Coach/ISF Grant Coordinator, the position was tasked with supporting systems change through strengthening our MTSS and implementation of the Interconnected Systems Framework. The difference between this role and previous roles was that the previous coordinator had been tasked with systems change and yet wasn’t necessarily present when decisions were being made. This meant that they were coming in after the fact with a stone for the bridge and trying to make it fit. In this new role, the coach was able to be there as they were selecting the stone, and be part of looking at all sides and ensuring that it fit. It also helped that we made the agreement to not use the “lingo” (sorry, Kym:) and to just make it part of developing a strong MTSS. Otherwise, instinctively, it can feel separate and new, when we’ve actually been on this journey for a long time, just changing our approach to meet current research.

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EST

IDT

PLC

OSSU’s Student Support Flowchart was developed to formalize the problem-solving process that teams should use as they work to ensure that all students experience success. This flowchart was originally developed to guide teams academically. One of our “epiphanies” came as we attempted to develop similar processes for SEB-L and Mental Health. We realized that this framework should just guide our process for problem solving, regardless of area. Once we reviewed it through all of these lenses, we ensured that all of the associated resources also had strategies for SEB-L alongside strategies for reading, for example, in order to visually represent that they are both equally important and relevant. This completed one lane of our bridge as a strong foundation, but we are building a multi-lane, multi-story bridge with many phases.

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Prek-12 Core SEL Competencies

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Self-Awareness:

Subgoal 1a. Demonstrate an awareness of your emotions.
Subgoal 1b. Demonstrate an awareness of personal qualities and interests including strengths and challenges.
Subgoal 1c. Demonstrate a sense of confidence, personal responsibility, and advocacy.

Self-Management:

Subgoal 2a. Understand and use strategies for managing your emotions and behavior.
Subgoal 2b. Demonstrate the ability to motivate, persevere, and see oneself as capable.
Subgoal 2c. Plan, apply, and evaluate goals to achieve success in school and life

Social Awareness:

Subgoal 3a. Demonstrate the ability to recognize and empathize with the feelings and perspectives of others.
Subgoal 3b. Demonstrate an awareness and respect for human dignity including culture and differences.

Relationship Skills:

Subgoal 4a. Apply positive verbal and non-verbal communication and social skills to interact with others.
Subgoal 4b. Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and/or resolve interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways.
Subgoal 4c. Develop and maintain positive relationships.

Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making:

Subgoal 5a. Develop, implement, and model responsible and ethical decision-making skills across settings.
Subgoal 5b. Engage in a reflective process to evaluate decision outcomes.

OSSU PreK-12 CORE SEL COMPETENCY AREAS & SUBGOALS

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Commitment

To

Consistency!