Katie Jones, MSW, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Illinois Valley, Inc., spoke to a group of parents during the Cambridge Parent Network meeting Thursday night, Jan. 28, at the high school.
Jones talked about Columbia University’s TeenScreen Program which will be held Monday, March 15, through Thursday, March 18, at the school for students in seventh through 12th grade.
The Columbia University TeenScreen is a national mental health and suicide risk screening program for young people. TeenScreen is committed to making mental health and well-being of America’s youth a national priority, while ensuring that every parent is offered the opportunity to have their teenager receive a voluntary mental health check-up.
The program is being provided to students free of charge through the Mental Health Association of Illinois Valley and the Henry County Health Department.
“We are really encouraging parents to let their child take part in this screen,” stated Lisa Miller, a guidance counselor at the school. “They have nothing to lose, but could gain a lot.”
Both parents and the students have to give written consent before the computer testing can be done. All consent forms are due no later than Monday, March 8.
The screening will take place during school hours in a private setting at the school. All screening results will be kept confidential, stored separately from academic records and not shared with the teen’s teachers.
Teens complete a 10-minute questionnaire about physical health, symptoms of depression and anxiety, suicidal thinking or behavior and use of drugs and alcohol.
The screening can help find those youth who are suffering from undiagnosed mental illness or are at risk for suicide, make their parents aware of their children’s difficulties and help connect them with mental health services that can save their lives.
“Between 20 and 30 percent of the parents and students agree to participate in the screening in an average school,” stated Jones. “We have saved a number of kids lives through the screening process in the last five years.”
Jones went on to say that everything is very confidential. No names are used. Each student is assigned a number and that is how they are known. Results are available the same day the testing is completed and if there is a problem, parents will be contacted on the same day.
Cambridge residents currently have two facilities they can ask for help from. They are Robert Young Center and Bridgeway Inc.
Two other school districts in Henry County will also offer the testing, Galva and Orion.
For more information, contact Lisa Miller at the school or visit the TeenScreen.org .
