Mental Health Matters

As we continue to prioritize the well-being of our students, it’s important to remember that mental health challenges can arise at any time of the year. With the demands of the school year ramping up, it's crucial to be proactive in recognizing and supporting students who may be struggling. Whether it’s due to academic pressure, personal challenges, or the stress that often accompanies the end of the school year, we are here to provide the resources and strategies you need to make a positive, lasting impact on your students' mental health.

In this edition, we’re sharing valuable tools for administrators, educators, and school mental health professionals to effectively support those in their care. You’ll find resources aimed at fostering resilience, promoting self-care, and strengthening partnerships with caregivers to ensure comprehensive support for student mental health and wellness.

As we approach the well-earned spring break, we encourage you to take time for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. You’ve worked incredibly hard, and we hope this break provides the opportunity to recharge and focus on your own well-being. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to supporting and empowering your school communities every day!

Contrary to popular belief, suicide rates often peak during the spring months, rather than in winter. Several factors may contribute to this seasonal increase:

1. Increased Academic Pressure – Spring is often a time of heightened stress due to standardized testing, final exams, and college admissions decisions. The pressure to perform well can exacerbate anxiety and depression in students.

2. Social Transitions – Changes in friendships, peer relationships, and social dynamics often occur in the spring, especially as students prepare for graduation, transitions to new schools, or summer break. Feelings of isolation, rejection, or uncertainty about the future can contribute to emotional distress.

3. Seasonal Energy Shift – While winter depression (linked to seasonal affective disorder) can cause lethargy, springtime energy increases may lead to a dangerous combination of restlessness and unresolved emotional pain, potentially increasing impulsivity and suicide risk.

4. Hormonal and Biological Changes – Adolescents already experience hormonal fluctuations that affect mood, and seasonal changes in sunlight exposure may further impact serotonin and melatonin levels, influencing mood regulation and sleep patterns.

These factors highlight the importance of proactive mental health support for youth, especially during seasonal transitions. If your building could benefit from additional support and resources related to suicide prevention, check out our Community Partner Spotlight below!

The Michigan Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management Process is a systematic approach designed to help schools identify, assess, and manage students who may pose a threat to themselves and others. It aims to prevent violence and ensure the safety of students, staff, and the school community.

Values that are central to the model include:

• The Mi-BTAM process is proactive, not reactive. It operates on the belief that early intervention can prevent violence before it occurs.

• The process assesses behaviors, not labels individuals as dangerous. It focuses on an individual’s actions, communications, and circumstances that may indicate a pathway toward harm.

• No single person has all the answers—teachers, counselors, school resource officers, and mental health professionals must work together.

• The goal is not punishment, but rather helping students before issues escalate.

If you are a colleague are interested in being trained in the Mi-BTAM model, check out our professional learning opportunities below!

Corewell Health's School Blue Envelope Project provides free suicide prevention training to all district staff in Kent County schools. This training equips staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide risk and to follow the S.A.F.E. protocol. Additionally, school mental health professionals receive specialized training in suicide risk assessment and safety planning using two evidence-based tools: the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and the Stanley-Brown Safety Plan.

To learn more contact Jody Sprague or Jodie Reimink.

Calling all educators and community partners!

Get ready for an inspiring day of collaborative learning and connection featuring sessions on mental health in schools, effective teaming structures, attendance initiatives, and so much more! SCECHs & CEUs available, pending approval.

June 13, 2025 | 9:00-3:30

VanDyk Mortgage Convention Center

Muskegon, MI

Registration coming soon. Click here to learn more!

We know that smart technology is everywhere, but it’s important to think about how it might affect our kids’ ability to focus and their mental health. Experts like Jonathan Haidt and Lynn Lyons say that spending too much time on screens can make it harder for kids to pay attention and can make them feel anxious or stressed.

Screens can be helpful, but they can also cause problems:

• Too much excitement and not enough sleep

• Feeling lonely or isolated

• Constant notifications and social media can make kids feel worried or compare themselves to others.

Setting limits is important:
It’s really important to set limits on screen time and encourage activities like spending time with friends, playing outside, or doing quiet activities away from screens. These activities help kids feel better and stay connected to the world around them.

Social Media and Suicidal Thoughts in Young People

• Too much social media: Kids who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media have a higher chance of thinking about or trying to hurt themselves.

• Feeling sad or lonely: Social media can make kids feel depressed, anxious, bullied, or lonely.

• Learning dangerous behaviors: Teens might see harmful behaviors, like hurting themselves or thinking about suicide, on social media, which could make them think it’s okay to try those things.

Leading by Example

Remember, kids learn by watching us. If we want them to have good screen habits, we need to show them how. Limiting our own screen time, talking to them face-to-face, and doing fun family activities can help them learn how to balance their screen use.

Helpful Resources:

• How Phones Ruin Concentration - Child Mind Institute

• The Parenting Report Card: Are You Getting All A’s? - Lynn Lyons

• 5 Tips for Managing Media Devices for Kids Age 3 to 8 - Common Sense Media

Calling all school mental health providers who could benefit from more skills and strategies to support students with symptoms of depression and anxiety!

CBT is widely considered the gold standard for treatment of depression and anxiety, with strong evidence of effectiveness in both children and adolescents. Tier 2 CBT & Mindfulness Training for School Mental Health Professionals equips participants with developmentally appropriate lessons to help students manage symptoms such as hopelessness, low energy, worried thoughts, and avoidant behaviors. Training for the 2025-2026 school year is available at no additional cost to districts. However, there is no guarantee of free access beyond that period. You can find the available training dates for Fall 2025 here!

How it works

1. Live Virtual Training: School mental health professionals (SMHPs) complete 6 hours of live virtual training to enhance their clinical skills.
2. Guided Implementation: SMHPs deliver their first 10 sessions with support from a trained TRAILS Coach.
3. Ongoing Support: TRAILS offer continued implementation support through workshops, Q&As, newsletters, and more.

Capacity is limited to up to 3 staff per school. If you’re interested in participating, please carefully read this document to make sure you’re eligible. Want to take the next step? Please complete the TRAILS CBT & Mindfulness registration request form!

Tuesday, April 22nd | 4-5:30 pm | virtual

Working within education, whether providing instruction directly to students, or working to support students in other ways, has always been a challenging job. Practicing self-care — prioritizing what you need to be a healthy whole person — is key for school staff in order to prevent burnout and bring one’s best self to the classroom. TRAILS Self-Care for School Staff provides participants self-care strategies that they can use to support their own mental health and wellness, as well as some brief activities that can be used with students.

Topics to be discussed include:

• Self-care basics: what it is and why it works

• Personal self-care skills (that can also be used with students)

Click here to register at least 24 hours in advance. Space is limited. SCECHs (MI) and social work CEUs available.

A high-impact, one-day virtual event for special education professionals! Join us for actionable strategies, expert insights, and innovative tools to support students with disabilities from birth to age 26.

What to Expect:

• Strengths-based IEPs & transition planning
• Behavior & mental health strategies for tackling anxiety, complex behaviors, and threat assessment
• Tools for enhancing preschool communication, inclusive early childhood environments and evaluations and goal development in early childhood
• Assistive technology and AI in Special Education
• Strategies for IEP facilitation, progress monitoring, and instructional strategy development
• High-quality programming indicators for students with disabilities

…and so much more!

📅 Mark your calendar – June 9th!
⚡ Earn SCECHs & CEUs while gaining game-changing insights.
🔜 Registration coming soon!

For additional information about resources included in this Newsletter or with other questions or concerns, please contact: Chelsea Kittridge-Farrell, Mental Wellness Consultant or Kelly VanDyke, Wellness Consultant.