>>JENNIFER WAUGH: DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS WORKING TO INCREASE ACCESS FOR STUDENTS
TO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES.
KATRINA TAYLOR IS THE DIRECTOR
OF SCHOOL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
FOR THE DUVAL COUNTY SCHOOL
DISTRICT AND IS JOINING US
THIS MORNING ON THE MORNING
SHOW. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR
BEING WITH US. THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME. SO I I THE THE
DISTRICT HAS FANTASTIC
RESOURCES AND I THINK A LOT OF
TIME TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS
THAT ARE JUST UNAWARE THAT
THEY EVEN EXIST. LET ME START,
THOUGH, IF WE COULD, LET’S
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
YOU’RE SEEING IN SCHOOLS WITH
TEENS. ONE OF THE BIGGEST
CONCERNS THAT MENTAL HEALTH
COUNSELORS ARE ARE SEEING WITH
THEM?
>> WELL, BECAUSE THE PANDEMIC.
WE SEE ADJUSTMENT STUDENTS,
CHINA DRESS TO NORMALCY OF
COMING BACK INTO THE SCHOOLS
AFTER BEING IN THEIR HOMES FOR
A NUMBER OF MONTHS. AND WE SEE
THAT A LOT AT THE ELEMENTARY
LEVEL AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL,
WE SEE SOME STUDENTS THAT ARE
REALLY DEALING WITH ANXIETY. A
LOT OF AS WELL AS OUR STUDENTS
HAVE. THEY’LL DEALT WITH TO
GRIEF OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS.
SO TRYING TO JUST TO NORMALCY
IS WHAT WE’RE SEEING WITH OUR
STUDENTS. ALSO TRAUMA. YEAH,
PROBABLY IS A BIG ONE WITHIN
OUR COMMUNITY WITHIN OUR CITY
WITHIN THIS NATION. SO THOSE
ARE THE ISSUES THAT WE’RE
SEEING PRIMARILY WITH OUR
SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN.
>>LAUREN VERNO: AND DO YOU
FIND THAT? I I REMEMBER AT
HEIGHT OF THE WE WERE IN
COMMUNICATION, WILSON
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL BAPTIST
HEALTH AS WELL SAYING, LOOK,
WE’VE GOT A DRAMATIC INCREASE
IN THE NUMBER OF TEENS IN
PARTICULAR WHO NEED IMMEDIATE
EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH CARE
THAT TRICKLES DOWN TO THE
SCHOOLS REGARDLESS OF THE AGE.
WHAT THE TRIGGERS HEARS IT
MOSTLY ASSOCIATE THEN WITH THE
PANDEMIC AND ABSOLUTELY. LIKE
I SAID, THE STUDENTS HAD TO
ADJUST
>>LAUREN VERNO: THIS IS THE
FIRST TIME THAT WE’VE ALL GONE
THROUGH A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND
WE HAD TO ADJUST. SO IMAGINE
THE STUDENT. I’M FROM THE AGE
OF 5 TO 18 TRYING TO ADJUST TO
THE SOMETHING THAT WAS THEIR
NEW NORMAL. NOW I’M DEALING
WITH THAT IN THE SCHOOL
SYSTEM. WE HAVE SEEN AN
INCREASE IN MENTAL HEALTH
REFERRALS. SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS
THAT WERE NOT AT CAPACITY IN
PREVIOUS YEARS AFTER THE DAY
ARE AT CAPACITY. WE HAVE MORE
STUDENTS ARE BEING REFERRED
FOR MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING.
AND SO WE HAVE SEEN WHAT A
IMPACT THIS PANDEMIC HAS HAD
ON OUR SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS
MENTAL HEALTH. AND IT IS SO
HARD TO JUST GET TEENS TO EVEN
COMMUNICATE. SOMETIMES THESE
DEBATES OPEN. IT’S HARD TO GET
THEM TO REALLY JUST TALK ABOUT
HOW THEY’RE FEELING. AND AND
RECOGNIZING THAT THAT THOSE
MIGHT BE SIGNS THAT THEY NEED
SOME OUTSIDE HELP. SO LET’S
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
NEW INITIATIVES THIS YEAR.
>>LAUREN VERNO: INCLUDING
SOMETHING CALLED THE CLOTHES
LINE PROJECT. SO WE GOT THIS
PROJECT FROM CHINA IN OVER
THEY DID A CLOTHES LINE
PROJECT IN THEIR SCHOOLS. SO
ALL THE STUDENTS WERE WHERE
THEY BROUGHT NEW OR USED T
SHIRTS, T-SHIRTS THAT MAY HAVE
HAD SOMETHING ON THEM. THEY
TURN THEM INSIDE OUT.
>>LAUREN VERNO: AND THE WHOLE
GOAL WAS TO EVERYONE IN THE
SCHOOL WILL WRITE A POSITIVE,
UPLIFTING MESSAGE. SO WHEN YOU
WALKED INTO THAT SCHOOL, YOU
SAW THIS MESSAGE OF NEVER GIVE
UP YOUR MENTAL HEALTH YOU ARE
LOVE. SO IT WITH THE STUDENTS
WERE AS A RESULT OF THOSE
T-SHIRTS BEING, YOU KNOW, IN
THE BUILDINGS AS THEY WALK
INTO THEIR SCHOOLS. SO OUR
GOAL IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR
SCHOOLS PARTAKE IN THIS
PROJECT. AND SO WE CAN HAVE
THAT SAME POSITIVITY
THROUGHOUT UP BUT ALSO AS
THEY’RE TESTING THIS MONTH,
THEY’LL BE ENCOURAGED TO KEEP
GOING. AND SOMETIMES IT’S
KNOWING THAT IT’S AN ISSUE.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND THEN IT
MAKES IT A LITTLE EASIER TO
TALK ABOUT IT. AND YOU’RE NOT.
NO, NOT AS HESITANT TO THE
GROWING INITIATIVE WAS
LAUNCHED THIS YEAR. ALSO AFTER
FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS, HOW
DOES THAT WORK? SO THE GROW
PROJECT CAME AS A RESULT OF AN
INTERN THAT WE HAD IN OUR
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT. BUT
REALLY HAD AN INTEREST IN
MENTAL HEALTH. AND SHE HAD AN
INTEREST TO STATE THAT I’M
GOING TO GO INTO SCHOOLS AND
DEVELOP THESE FOCUS GROUP OF
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BECAUSE I
MYSELF HAD SOME MENTAL HEALTH
CONCERNS WHEN SHE ATTENDED
RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL. AND SO
SHE DEVELOPED THESE FOCUS
GROUPS WITH THE STUDENTS AND
RECEIVED THEIR IMPACT THEIR
INPUT FROM THOSE FOCUS GROUPS.
AND WITH THAT CAME THE GROWING
INITIATIVE WHICH STANDS FOR
GAME RESILIENCE, OBTAIN
WELLNESS AND SO THROUGH WE’RE
NORMALIZING MENTAL HEALTH. THE
STUDENTS HAVE A PLACE WHERE
THEY CAN TALK ABOUT IN AND
BREAK THAT STIGMA. WE
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF
THE YOUTH VOICE AS ADULTS. WE
MAY SEE THINGS ONE WAY, BUT
STUDENTS SEE IT. AS A TOTALLY
DIFFERENT WAY. SO GETTING THAT
YOUTH HIM PUT IN THE YOUTH
VOICE THAT ALLOWS US TO BE
RECEPTIVE TO WHAT THEY’RE
TALKING ABOUT. SO IN 14 OF OUR
HIGH SCHOOLS, WE HAVE GROW
WHICH ARE FUNDED BY AT THAT IS
A UNITED WAY OF NORTHEAST
FLORIDA PARTNER AND THE
STUDENTS HAVE THESE GROW
MEETINGS WHERE THEY RAISE
AWARENESS AS RELATES TO MENTAL
HEALTH. THEY ALSO BRING ABOUT
ACCESS IS AVAILABLE FOR
STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS. SO
THE WHOLE POINT AROUND THE
GROW CLUBS AND THE GROWTH TEAM
IN THE GROIN INITIATIVE, IT’S
THE YOUTH VOICE WHICH IS ALSO
POWERFUL, SO MUCH OF HELPING