Peabody Promise reports larger student mental‑health caseloads as district expands in‑school clinicians
Loading...
Summary
Peabody Promise and district staff reported a notable increase in counseling sessions and said the new Student Resource and Support Center at Higgins Middle now has dedicated clinicians; presenters also described Wayfinder SEL rollout and a draft bullying policy while noting a small wait list of students for standing appointments.
Peabody Promise co‑chairs and district staff told the Peabody School Committee on March 10 that the new Student Resource and Support Center (SRSC) at Higgins Middle School and partner clinicians have substantially increased the district’s in‑school mental‑health capacity.
Sarah Grenell, director of the city’s Division of Social Services and a co‑chair of the Peabody Promise team, said the SRSC recorded 123 counseling sessions in January, 12 drop‑in visits and 11 students on a waiting list at Higgins; districtwide January totals reported were 293 counseling sessions and 14 students on waiting lists (11 at Higgins and 3 at South). “We’ve had a total of a little over 1,300 counseling sessions since the program began,” Grenell said, adding that clinicians from Advocates and Embrace Pathways are embedded in schools.
The update emphasized prevention and early intervention: staff described a behavioral assessment team at Higgins that meets weekly to review allegations, safety plans and after‑action reviews, and said a draft bullying‑prevention policy stemming from task‑force work has been submitted to the Quality & Standards subcommittee for review. “We’re focused on data review, building capacity and examining policies and practices so we can support both targets and those alleged to be aggressors,” a presenter said.
The team also reported initial results from a district pilot of Wayfinder, a social‑emotional learning (SEL) platform rolled out to staff on Jan. 16. Administrators said teachers and students are using Wayfinder lessons and that early feedback from classrooms has been positive; the district is developing plans for broader implementation next year.
Superintendent Dr. Vedala said the clinicians added to schools complement existing guidance staff and that students on the waiting list are being prioritized for drop‑in services and interim supports while staff work to convert some cases to standing appointments. “All students on the wait list have been prioritized by school counselors to ensure their needs are being met,” she said.
Committee members thanked the presenters and pressed for follow‑up information the district said it would provide, including a breakdown of referral sources (self‑referral vs. staff referral), updated wait‑list numbers after January, and the specific process for tracking repeat reports or repeat alleged aggressors. The district said those data are being captured and can be shared at a future meeting.
The presentation also noted outreach and communications efforts — a logo contest to promote the SRSC, a new Bloom app resource accessible to Peabody residents, and a monthly Peabody Promise newsletter — all intended to increase awareness of available supports.
