DENVER — In the wake of the March shooting at Denver’s East High School and several other high-profile cases of violence, Denver Public Schools has introduced the first draft of a safety plan that includes a heavy focus on mental health initiatives.
“I think anything in getting mental health providers into schools in general is a step in the right direction,” said Gabrielle Blickley, a licensed clinical social worker and manager of outpatient services at Health One’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Center at The Medical Center of Aurora.
Blickley sees community partnerships as a key component to any school district’s mental health strategy.
“We will work with a school. If you have a kid that’s consistently suicidal, has self-harm urges, has maybe brought a knife or something to school, how do we work with the parents and the student but then also the peers?” Blickley said.
The nearly 50-page plan includes expanding the number of mental health professionals trained to work in schools — including psychologists and social workers — as well as an emphasis on social-emotional learning and bullying prevention programs.
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“It’s encouraging that this is getting attention in a lot of places, including Denver,” said Rob Bhatt, who studies mental health trends and serves as an analyst with Quote Wizard by Lending Tree. “The issues can be particularly acute for young people and particularly troubling. So, if people could understand these things and accept mental health as part of their overall health, then I think we’re going in the right direction.”
Bhatt says Colorado ranks near the bottom when it comes to treating mental health.
“Colorado ranks 40th in the nation in overall access to mental health,” Bhatt said. “56 percent of people with a mental health issue are not receiving care, and then 34 percent of people who have a mental health issue have an unmet need.”
DPS will gather feedback through May 21, a second draft will be released on May 26, and then feedback will be gathered through June 4. The plan will be finalized on June 23 and the DPS Board of Education will review it on June 30.
