Mundelein High School District 120, along with a number of other school districts who are part of the Transition Action Network for Mental Health, [TANMH] hosted a Mental Health Symposium held Dec. 7 at Oakton Community College. Five MHS staff members attended as did several staff members from Mundelein School Districts 75 and 79. About 250 people attended the all-day event.
“Based on feedback from the past year, TANMH decided to look at addressing how to support students with mental health needs and their families from kindergarten through transition,” said Jamie DiCarlo, MHS director of special education. “We want to remove the stigma and provide open dialogue, strategies and support,” she said.
According to the TANMH, the number of students requiring intensive mental health resources is increasing in most school districts. This interactive symposium aimed to raise awareness, explore common challenges and share resources to support the schools’ shared goals of supporting students with mental health needs across their school years.
Topics covered included recognizing emerging mental health issues, emerging brain-based research, considerations and implications for schools, de-stigmatization as a barrier to treatment and support, current landscape in schools and empowering staff to individually and collectively transform their work to support a seamless transition from kindergarten to young adulthood.
Other schools who sponsored the event include Highland Park and Deerfield high schools, Vernon Hills and Libertyville high schools, Lake Forest High School, Palatine area high schools, Glenbrook, Arlington Heights, Niles high schools, Stevenson, New Trier, Maine Township, NSSED and NSSEO cooperatives.