This grant program was established to strengthen mental health partnerships between county mental health or behavioral health departments, community based organizations, and local educational entities in order to increase access to mental health services and remove barriers to better serve our students and families in their mental health needs.
Through the Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) grant and in collaboration with the Orange County Health Care Agency and Orange County Districts and Schools, the Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) Coordinators:
- Support collaboration and facilitate partnerships among and between districts and service providers and the Health Care Agency by
- Facilitating collaborative meeting between districts and community partners
- Hosting Quarterly Countywide MHSSA partner meetings
- Hosting Regional meetings between districts with each region, County Mental Health and Recovery Services, and community-based service providers
- Coordinating services for school districts with other county-wide K-12 services providers, including OCDE, and County Mental Health and Recovery Services
- Support in the improvement of district infrastructure and capacity to provide mental health services through
- Trainer of trainer opportunities for school-based mental health staff utilizing evidenced-based approaches
- Supporting in the development and revision of district mental health processes and protocols and guiding improvements to district protocols
- Vetting and creating resources and tools for school staff
- Creating mental health resources for parents
- Developing trainings and presentation materials for use by district and school staff to train others
- Collaborating with school districts/schools to assist with the development and implementation of student WellSpaces on campuses
- Provide services such as care coordination, crisis response, and other small group services (as requested by districts) as well as various trainings on mental health topics for parents and students including
- Crisis response to support students, families, and school staff in collaboration with the Crisis Response Network Team
- Supporting Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) panels, etc.
- Group counseling and education for students (e.g., Cognitive Behavior Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and Bounce Back training for staff)
- Student presentations through WellSpaces
- Care coordination for individual students
For more information contact:
Orange County MHSSA Grant Program Lead
Mayu Iwatani, MSW, PPSC
Manager, Mental Health and Wellness Care Coordination
Phone: (714) 966-4468
For more information on the Mental Health Student Services Act grant, click here:
MHSSA
The content included here is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you or your student are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call 911 immediately. If you're having suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline).
