|
In this month's issue:
- Support students through free back-to-school mental health resources and programs—whether you're a provider, school staff member, parent, or caregiver
- Find out which schools are implementing Students Supporting Students and the School-Based Diversion Initiative this year
- How CONNECT IV could enhance your school or district's mental health programming
- This month's featured Kids Mental Health Training: School Refusal
...and more!
| | Back to School Mental Health: Resources to Know for 2026-2027 | | Back-to-school season is here, and we're here to help you prepare! We've compiled a list of high-quality, no-cost school mental health resources (developed by us, our partners, and our colleagues nationwide) in one convenient place, so families, schools, and behavioral health providers can spend less time searching and more time helping students thrive: | |
-
School-based clinicians can share fact sheets and resources with teachers, school staff, and families
-
Administrators can utilize resources to address student mental health in professional development or develop school mental health policy
-
Private practice or community-based providers can share information with the children and families they treat or incorporate resources into back-to-school discussions in session
| |
-
Teachers can implement restorative practices, grounding activities, or discussion strategies into the development of norms or classroom protocols
-
Parents and caregivers can learn about common youth behavioral health conditions and treatments and locate a provider
| | New Schools Implement the Students Supporting Students Program and School-Based Diversion Initiative in 2026-2027 | | Staff at Maloney High School in Meriden participate in NAMI CT's Ending the Silence training with speaker Grace Grinnell to prepare for Triple S implementation. | | |
Four new Connecticut schools—currently participating in CONNECT—are implementing the Students Supporting Students (Triple S) peer support program this school year! They include:
-
Maloney High School in Meriden
-
Platt High School in Meriden
-
West Rocks Middle School in Norwalk
-
Windsor Locks Middle School
Additionally, we're excited to welcome 7 new SBDI schools:
-
John F. Kennedy Middle School and Enfield High School in Enfield
-
Hamden High School, Hamden Middle School, and Hamden Collaborative Learning Center
-
Flood Middle School and Wooster Middle School in Stratford
| | CONNECT IV Continuing to Recruit New Schools Through April 2026 | | |
Is your school or district looking to enhance mental health programming? CONNECT IV gives schools and districts no-cost tools to enhance their school mental health services through:
- Connection to community mental health services and other districts working towards similar goals
- Training on evidence-based practices, trauma, and behavioral health for the whole school community
- A SHAPE needs assessment, screening tools, and ongoing data analysis with CHDI staff
- Funding incentives based on each school or district's level of participation
Think CONNECT IV could be a good fit for your school?
| CHDI serves as the statewide Coordinating Center for Connecting Schools to Care IV Students (CONNECT IV), a four-year grant awarded to the Department of Children and Families to support mental health in Connecticut schools. | | Publications and Resources | | New Annual Data Report Shows CBITS and Bounce Back Continue to Help Students Recover from Trauma Exposure | | New data from our FY25 annual report confirms that Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and Bounce Back (BB) are effective treatments for trauma exposure: | | students received CBITS or Bounce Back through 87 CBITS groups and 76 BB groups | | students were screened for trauma exposure and associated symptoms | | of children were satisfied with their treatment, and most showed PTSD symptom reduction | | CHDI serves as Connecticut's CBITS Coordinating Center, supporting a network of 33 CBITS and Bounce Back teams, serving 100 schools and 12 community-based providers. We provide training, credentialing, certification, ongoing data collection, analysis, and reporting to ensure model fidelity and continuous quality improvement. | | Read our FY25 annual report for a detailed look at the data and more: | | |
CHDI's Dr. Jeana Bracey Interviewed on Back-to-School Mental Health Concerns
Associate Vice President of School and Community Initiatives, Jeana Bracey, PhD, was recently interviewed for a July 27th Public News Service piece on the importance of caregivers watching out for kids' behavioral health as they return to school.
| | August Featured Course: School Refusal | | | | |
This month's featured Kids Mental Health Training helps behavioral health providers, caregivers, and school staff members understand school avoidance and develop practical strategies to support students who struggle to get to school.
Instructor: Dr. Scott Hannan is a clinical psychologist at Balance CBT of New England, LLC, and the Institute of Living Anxiety Disorders Center.
🎓 2 continuing education credit hours approved by NASW-CT are available.
| | | | |
Kids Mental Health Training is an online learning portal that provides convenient, evidence-based training on a variety of children’s behavioral health topics for clinicians, educators, pediatric providers, and other youth-serving professionals.
All KMHT courses are offered at NO cost and most offer continuing education credits.
| | Gizmo & Gadget Visit CHDI! | | | | |
On August 3rd, Gizmo and Gadget visited CHDI! Gizmo is the mascot for the Gizmo 4 Mental Health Initiative and has also supported United Way CT's suicide prevention efforts.
In 2023, CHDI adapted the Gizmo curriculum to support preschool-aged children.
Unfortunately, on August 21st, Gizmo passed away. Though he was small, he left a huge legacy; Gizmo (and his brother Gadget) made mental health education accessible to young children statewide and supported people in crisis, experiencing grief, and who just needed a puppy snuggle.
| | We're so thankful for Gizmo's impact and for the time we spent with him, and we send our condolences to his owner, Jen Adams. | | CHDI Staff Updates: New Postdoctoral Fellow and New Credentials! | | | | |
We're excited to introduce the newest member of our team, Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Sayaka Awao!
Sayaka holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Maryland, where her dissertation focused on childhood loss. She also brings a wealth of experience in trauma-informed care and Circle of Security.
During her fellowship, Dr. Awao will split time between CHDI and Yale Child Study Center.
| | | | |
Project Coordinator Sarah White recently earned her LCSW!
Sarah supports a variety of our School Mental Health initiatives.
Before CHDI, Sarah served as a school social worker in Longmeadow, MA, where she provided counseling and crisis intervention services and developed intervention strategies to enhance students' academic success.
| | | | |
