I wanted to let my reader’s know that I am still writing, but most of my writing is now on behalf of Sheppard Pratt Health System, on their blog Thrive. Check it out. Lots of awesome information written by many people. Thanks for checking it out.
UPDATE: Sheppardpratt.org has been revised. The Blog posts now sit on News and Views. You can see the blog posts here.
Many of you know my story. You know that Bryce is now doing well. He is in a full-time therapeutic school and gets the support that he needs. It took years to get Bryce at The Frost School. He struggled immensely in elementary school and it was a difficult road. We asked for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as soon as he started kindergarten and were told that he did not qualify. We tried again in first grade and he was given a 504 plan which is not binding and does not give the same protections as an IEP. Bryce continued downhill – he was not completing schoolwork, he was suspended and restrained repeatedly and he was hospitalized numerous times. It was traumatic.
This summer I saw Bryce’s second grade teacher for the first time in years. We were chatting about how well Bryce is now doing. She told me, “The year I had Bryce was the hardest year I’ve ever taught.”
When his second grade teacher said those words to me it devastated me. She did not mean it to cause me pain though. She did not mean to suggest she didn’t want him as her student. She didn’t say it because Bryce was a difficult student. I mean – he was. But she meant it a different way. It was hard on her emotionally. She saw Bryce restrained over 10 times. She felt hopeless. When we did finally have a meeting to try and get Bryce an IEP she told the truth. She did not sugar coat anything. She told the county she spent over 60% of her time with Bryce. She told them that Bryce needed additional services, that he needed smaller class size and could not be safely maintained in the classroom. Yet, since Bryce did not even have an IEP at the time, the county determined that there was more they could try at his home school. They were not willing to fund full-time special education. Although early intervention and prevention would have benefited Bryce, the school system does not work that way. They did not yet see full failure and they believe in a least restrictive environment and maintaining children in their home schools.
Although Bryce was finally able to receive an IEP and a placement at a full-time therapeutic school in 4th grade, it should not have taken that long. The placement was recommended after Bryce spent an hour and a half banging his head on cement walls and breaking the door off of the quiet room at his school. It was finally determined then and only then that the public school could not adequately maintain him. It should never have gotten that far. There were warning signs and Bryce was not making progress in school. Bryce is in 8th grade and even though he is safe and doing well, he is years behind grade level. He struggles with every day tasks and may never catch up to his peers.
If he had gotten adequate support starting in kindergarten, could things have been different? We will never know. We tried. I had him in private therapy early on and I ASKED, BEGGED, PLEADED for services from the school but they were not provided. Why is it difficult to get our children the help they need? Why do our kids have to hit rock bottom, scream for help or hurt themselves before they are given appropriate placements?
I realize it is too costly to give support to everyone. However, early intervention and prevention matter. Research shows that early intervention works and can have long-term benefits. Providing support when the brain is still developing is crucial for children to ensure positive outcomes. Young people who struggle with mental health problems miss more school resulting in lower grades and educational outcomes than students with stable mental health. There is evidence that money can be saved in the long-run if screening procedures are in place to identify those that would benefit from extra support or special education services. That is because paying for long-term disability or hospitalization has significantly higher costs than paying for up-front interventions. However, governments and school systems are not set up to lay out money until there is a problem and need is proven. Once someone is already sick or struggling, costs for treatment skyrocket.
In addition to saving money, we can save children. Evidence shows that early intervention can improve educational outcomes and well as emotional well-being. Many people are afraid to get help for their mental health due to stigma. If teachers and school systems are trained to identify students early in a non-threatening, mainstreamed way similar to hearing and vision tests, it will become commonplace and normalized. Mental health matters as much as physical health and should be part of normal school screenings.
Having gone through the IEP process now, I have counseled many friends on what to do and what to ask for. It feels good to help others in crisis and I am happy to assist those in crisis or who need advice. I can tell you that it helps to have a lawyer or educational consultant but that can cost thousands of dollars. Many people with children that are struggling cannot afford that. We tried early on to get Bryce the help he deserved. We told the school in kindergarten of Bryce’s challenges and his diagnosis. They did nothing. It took years before they helped. It should not have to be that way.
As parents, educators, and advocates we must continue to stand up for children and ask for early intervention. We must ask for services, recommend more funding for programs and training in schools. We must make it the norm that all children get what they need. It should not be a fight, it should be a given. We owe it to our kids, our future and our communities.
I just took my 500th conversation as a Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line. Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. People of all ages text in for support. The topics that arise cover everything and many of those that text in are teens struggling with life. Volunteering for Crisis Text Line is amazing – it is an incredible experience.
As a Crisis Counselor, I learned to separate my own feelings and experiences when chatting with texters and helping them through their crises. Crisis Text Line provides amazing training to potential Crisis Counselors and I learned so much by going through it. But as a parent, it is also difficult to interact with these young people in crisis.
As parents, we do our best to make sure that our children are happy and safe. We want them to know they can come to us with their problems. We want open communication, we want to protect them for as long as we can and we want them to trust us with whatever is bothering them. 
But often our kids are scared to tell us how they are really feeling. They worry about how their parents will react. As a Crisis Counselor I get to hear the from texters anonymously and confidentiality in a safe space. It is incredible how teenagers open up about how they feel through text. I get to hear from teens that are struggling – that are sad and depressed and feel that there is no hope. I get to hear from teens that are scared because they binged and purged for the first time and are not sure if that means they have an eating disorder. I hear from those that are afraid because they sent inappropriate photos to someone and are terrified. I hear from teens that cut and want to stop but do not know how.
But mostly during these open and honest chats what is surprising is how often these teenagers reveal that they are scared or worried to tell their parents that they are struggling, having thoughts of suicide or are dealing with self-harm. It is heartbreaking.
It hurts that so many respond saying their parents will get angry if they knew they were depressed. Angry? Yes. That is what they say. So many of these texters think their parents will be angry at them because they are depressed or feeling suicidal. It is devastating to hear that kids do not think their parents care, won’t help or will get angry at them for their feelings.
What it shows it that our children are scared. Our kids need us even if they say they do not. Our children need guidance and someone to watch over them even if they say they need space. I want all parents to know that they need to be compassionate and empathize with their children. That they need to tell their children it is safe to talk to them if they are hurting. That it is ok.
It is awesome to know that through their phones people can reach out for help. I wish that we could connect parents and their kids through Crisis Text Line but we cannot. It does not work that way. The way we can reach out children is by listening to them and letting them know we are there for them.
As Crisis Counselors, we are there for the texters. We are there to listen, to help and be there for the people in crisis. It feels good to help. But as Crisis Counselors, we can only do so much. As parents, we must be there always, unconditionally and no matter what. We need our kids to know that.
If you want to volunteer for Crisis Text Line, visit Crisis Text Line for more information or Contact Me to find out how AMAZING it is.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, text HELLO to 741741 to text with a trained Crisis Counselor 24/7.
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