Communities In Schools is the largest provider of campus-based behavioral health services in Texas. We recognize that early intervention prevents emerging issues from manifesting into serious concerns and crises. Our licensed mental health clinicians provide treatment to students directly in schools, right where the students are, creating equitable access to the early intervention services necessary to meet the rising unmet mental health needs of children. Please see below to learn more about our mental health services.
Providing Students Access to Mental Health
Project Access
The Project Access program is Communities In Schools of San Antonio’s most established clinical program. The Project Access program was initially developed in 2005, and its purpose is to provide short-term (8-10 sessions) intensive counseling services to students (and their families) enrolled in CIS-SA as case-managed students at their schools. The Project Access program aims to bring counseling services to the students at their school because many families we work with have difficulty accessing outside counseling services due to money, transportation, and/or time limitations. Our Project Access staff serves students in the following San Antonio area school districts: San Antonio ISD, East Central ISD, Harlandale ISD, Judson ISD, Southwest ISD, Pearsall ISD, Northside ISD, & Somerset ISD. In 2020, we introduced Devine ISD to Communities In Schools of San Antonio through our Devine ISD Project Access program.
Schools: All schools with a CIS-SA Site Coordinator
Funder: Methodist, Baptist, Northside ISD, Harlandale ISD, Family Service Association, AACOG, Devine ISD, Pearsall ISD, and Tres Grace
SEEDS Program
The SEEDS Program is a clinical program developed in 2018 that provides mental health services to campuses in Northside ISD. The SEEDS program is comprised of licensed mental health professional teams (social workers and counselors) who serve students from any NISD campus. The SEEDS counselor provides intensive counseling services to students referred by the district’s Point of Contact personnel at each school. The SEEDS Social Worker provides ongoing case management and supportive guidance services to the referred students and any necessary aftercare to the students and their families once counseling services have ended.
Schools: Northside ISD
Funder: Northside ISD
Metro Health – Domestic Violence Program
The Metro Health – Domestic Violence Program is our clinical program dedicated to providing counseling and mental health support to students (and their families) affected by domestic violence. This program was developed in 2020 in collaboration with the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District agency and supports students across three San Antonio area school districts (Northeast ISD, Northside ISD, San Antonio ISD, and East Central ISD). Our Licensed Counselors dedicated to this program can provide counseling services to schools that may not have a CIS-SA Site Coordinator assigned to their campus.
Schools: All schools in NISD, NEISD, SAISD, and East Central ISD
Funder: COSA – Metro Health
Youth Mental Health Project
The Youth Mental Health Project (YMHP) is Communities In Schools of San Antonio’s newest clinical program. YMHP was designed to provide intensive counseling services to students (and their families) enrolled in select San Antonio ISD middle and high schools who need additional mental health support. The goal of YMHP is to bring counseling services to the students at their school because many of the families we work with have a difficult time accessing outside counseling services due to money, transportation, and/or time limitations.
Schools: Hot Wells MS, Whittier MS, Harris MS, Longfellow MS, Poe MS, Tafolla MS, Rhodes MS, Davis MS, Rogers MS, Lowell MS, Burbank HS, Jefferson HS, Brackenridge HS, Edison HS, Lanier HS, Highlands HS, and Sam Houston HS.
Funder: San Antonio ISD
Supporting Family Mental Health
The Parent and Child Emotional Wellness Program (PACE Wellness)
The PACE Wellness program was developed in 2020 and provides mental health services to select Head Start campuses in San Antonio ISD. The PACE Wellness program is made up of licensed mental health professional teams (social workers and counselors) who serve students from any SAISD Head Start campus. The counselor provides intensive counseling services to students referred by the district’s Point of Contact personnel while the social worker ongoing case management and supportive guidance services to the referred students and their families and any necessary aftercare once counseling services have ended.
Schools: Any SAISD Head Start campus
Funder: SAISD
Supporting School Staff Mental Health
The Basecampus Program
The Basecampus program was developed in 2018 and is dedicated to working with adult educators in select East Central ISD schools. The program aims to educate and support educators to ensure they can prevent and/or identify warning signs of mental health issues in students. This program is run by a licensed mental health professional who coaches and educates school personnel about the various mental health and social challenges their students may be facing. Through one-on-one and small group coaching activities, monthly mental health-themed workshops, and staff self-care activities, the Basecampus Coach attempts to broaden a school’s support system to help meet the mental health needs of the students on their campus.
Schools: East Central High School & CAST Lead
Funder: H.E. Butt Family Foundation
Supporting Teen Parents
Metro Health – Teen Parenting Program
The Metro Health – Teen Parent Program is our clinical program dedicated to providing counseling and mental health support to pregnant and/or parenting teenagers across four San Antonio area school districts. This program was developed in 2017 in collaboration with the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District agency. Our Licensed Counselors dedicated to this program can provide counseling services to schools that may not have a CIS-SA Site Coordinator assigned to their campus. The purpose of the Metro Health Clinical program is to reduce the repeat pregnancy rate in the teenage youth of San Antonio.
Schools: All schools in NISD, EISD, SAISD, South San ISD, and Southwest ISD
Funder: COSA – Metro Health
Training and Education
School Box of Trainings
School Box of Trainings provides school staff, administrators, parents, and other professionals with tools to support the social and emotional needs of children through customized professional development workshops on a variety of topics. Each of these workshops is taught by skilled professionals who are experts within their field.
Schools: The trainings are offered to all schools, nonprofit, for-profit, and community partners.
Funder: None
Project Speak
Project Speak is an education and training program dedicated to increasing mental health awareness and support for school-aged children and youth ages 12-18 years old. Through training programs that improve youth holistic health and well-being, our goal is to develop a trauma-informed ecosystem, empowering both youth and adults with the knowledge and education they need to recognize early signs and symptoms of mental health issues and then respond appropriately.
Mental health prevention and intervention programs include:
Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) – A school-based mental health promotion and suicide prevention program for high school students in which they learn about and explore the topic of mental health.
- Who is eligible? High Schools within the San Antonio City Limits
Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) – Designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
- Who is eligible? Any adult within the San Antonio City Limits
Funder: COSA – Metro Health
For most mental health services, students and families are screened and referred by the CIS-SA Site Coordinator to a licensed mental health provider (LPC, LPC Associate, LMFT, LMFT Associate, LMSW, or LCSW). The Licensed Counselor completes a psychosocial assessment with parents/guardians and each student, develops a treatment plan, provides individual and/or family counseling, and coordinates other support services.
Additionally, CIS-SA is currently working with The Ecumenical Center and The Institute for Trauma-Informed Care to become a trauma-informed certified agency. CIS-SA will implement change that promotes the understanding of trauma, its impact, and signs and symptoms, as well as promotes trauma resilience and recovery to avoid re-traumatization. CIS-SA will do this by creating a trauma certification team, following an implementation model and the five domains set out by The Ecumenical Center and The Institute for Trauma-Informed Care. CIS-SA will also survey their staff, clients, and stakeholders through this process.
Questions?
To learn more about our mental health programming, please contact Kim Sayers, LPC-S Director of Clinical Programs, at ksayers@cissa.org.