Mental Health Matters
Volume 17 | May 2026
2025-2026 Virtual Offerings from the MDE LGBTQ+ Students Project
LGBTQ+ students are still at disproportionate risk for persistent bullying, harassment, and victimization. In response to requests from school districts across Michigan, the MDE LGBTQ+ Students Project staff created a suite of online professional development workshops to build the capacity of schools to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive culture and climate where all students can thrive.
Two more opportunities remain this school year. They include:
- When Bias Gets in the Way: How to Recognize and Address Barriers to Supporting LGBTQ+ Students and Families
- From the School Bus to the School Board: School-Wide Policies and Best Practices to Support LGBTQ+ Students
Use this link to learn more about and register for session offerings.
Collaborating for Consistent and Equitable Threat Assessment
As we prepare for Michigan’s new Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) legislation (House Bill 5549), which requires all districts to have trained teams in place by October 1, 2026, Kent County is leading the way in proactive, unified safety protocols.
This month, we are spotlighting collaboration between the Kent County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office, Kent ISD, and the Kent County Sheriff’s Department. These agencies are working together to develop a new Standardized Reporting Framework for school-based threats.
Why This Matters
Currently, reporting procedures can vary from one school or agency to another. This new framework aims to:
Establish Consistency: Ensure every school in Kent County uses the same criteria for assessing and reporting potential threats.
Prioritize Support: Distinguish between a student in need of mental health resources and a student posing a true safety risk.
Prevent Unnecessary Legal Action: By standardizing the process, we can avoid over-relying on the juvenile court system for behaviors that are better addressed through tiered school-based interventions.
The Goal: Safety Through Equity
The Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office is a key partner in this initiative to ensure that our responses are fair and restorative. By aligning our reporting requirements with law enforcement and school officials, we are building a system that keeps our buildings safe while protecting students from unnecessary punitive measures.
Effective PBIS relies on more than just great interventions—it requires a system that is organized to deliver them efficiently!
This promising practices research brief, published in January 2026, summarizes the rising mental health needs and outlines evidence-based strategies for schools to effectively organize and deliver social, emotional, and behavioral health supports.
Key strategies for PBIS teams include:
Integrating Community Partnerships: Guidelines on how to effectively collaborate with community providers to expand Tier 3 support without overextending school staff.
Universal Screening as Prevention: Evidence-backed insights on using universal screenings to identify student needs early, reducing the reliance on crisis response and disciplinary referrals.
Maximizing Staff Roles: Strategies for ensuring school mental health professionals are utilized for clinical and preventative support rather than administrative tasks.
The Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF): A research-based model for blending PBIS with school mental health to create a single, unified system of support.
By following these organizational practices, schools can reduce exclusionary discipline and create a more equitable environment where mental health is a foundational part of student success.
Building Community: Restorative Practices within PBIS
Restorative Practices (RP) are about more than just responding to conflict; they are a proactive way to build a culture of belonging. The Midwest PBIS Network provides a roadmap for schools to move away from punitive "zero-tolerance" policies and toward a "Restorative PBIS" model that prioritizes relationships and accountability.
Key Components of the Restorative Framework:
The "With" Box: Grounded in the social discipline window, this philosophy emphasizes doing things with students, rather than to them (punitive) or for them (permissive).
A Tiered Continuum: * Tier 1 (Proactive): Using affective statements, "I" messages, and community-building circles to establish strong student-teacher bonds.
Tier 2 (Responsive): Utilizing restorative chats and impromptu conferences to resolve minor conflicts before they escalate.
Tier 3 (Intensive): Implementing formal restorative conferences and circles to repair harm and successfully reintegrate students after a serious incident.
Affective Language: Teaching both staff and students how to express their feelings and needs effectively, linking these back to school-wide expectations.
By integrating these practices, our school can reduce exclusionary discipline while teaching students the vital social-emotional skills of empathy, self-regulation, and shared responsibility.
Program Updates - Fall 2026!
The TRAILS to Wellness program has launched significant updates to its digital platform to better support school mental health professionals and educators. These updates focus on making evidence-based mental health resources more intuitive and accessible for busy school staff.
Key updates include:
Enhanced Resource Library: A more streamlined search and filter system to help staff quickly find Tier 1 (Universal SEL) and Tier 2 (CBT and Mindfulness) lesson plans tailored to specific student needs.
Spanish Language Expansion: All 10-session Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness slide decks are now available in Spanish, facilitating more inclusive support for Spanish-speaking students and families.
Improved User Experience: A revamped "Download History" feature and personalized dashboard help school teams keep track of the materials they use most frequently, ensuring consistency in mental health delivery across the district.
New Guidance for Trauma-Informed Safety Drills
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and partner organizations have released updated 2026 guidelines for school safety drills. This resource emphasizes a "trauma-informed" approach to threat preparedness, prioritizing the psychological well-being of students and staff alongside physical safety.
Key recommendations include utilizing nonsensorial drills (no simulated gunfire or enactments) and involving school mental health professionals in every stage of drill planning to monitor and support participants. The guidance advocates for a hierarchy of training that begins with simple, low-stress discussions before moving to more complex exercises.
Behavioral Threat Assessment and Autism
School safety is a team effort that must be inclusive of all students. Safe and Sound Schools has released a new BTAM & ASD e-Guide specifically designed to help multidisciplinary teams, educators, and parents navigate the behavioral threat assessment process for students on the autism spectrum. This self-paced guide provides best practices for distinguishing between disability-related behaviors and actual threats, ensuring that safety protocols are effective, fair, and supportive for neurodivergent students.
Pine Rest: Expanding Support for Younger Teens
We know that finding the right level of mental health support for middle school-aged children can be a challenge. We are pleased to share that Pine Rest has officially lowered the age for their Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) to include students as young as 12 years old.
What is Partial Hospitalization? Often called a "day program," PHP is designed for students experiencing significant emotional or behavioral challenges that cannot be managed by traditional outpatient therapy alone. It serves as a vital "middle ground"—providing intensive, full-day treatment while allowing your child to return home each evening.
Key Features of the Program:
Multidisciplinary Team: Students are supported by a collaborative team, including psychiatrists, nurses, case managers, and therapists.
Group-Based Growth: The program focuses on building practical coping skills, stress management, and healthy communication through group therapy.
Consistency: The program typically runs Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., providing a structured, therapeutic environment during school hours.
Quick Stabilization: The average length of treatment is four to five days, helping students stabilize quickly during an acute crisis.
Our hope is that this age expansion will provide earlier intervention and much-needed relief for families navigating mental health hurdles during the transition into adolescence.
Learn More & Get Started: If you feel your child needs more intensive support, a licensed clinician is available 24/7 to help determine the best level of care.
Phone: 800.678.5500
Online Resource: Pine Rest Day Programs & PHP