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District presents Stony Brook CARE program offering expedited mental-health access for students
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Summary
The district's director of guidance summarized the Stony Brook 'CARE' partnership, which provides Level 1 professional development and parent workshops and Level 2 expedited same-day crisis care and short-term services for high-risk students; the district reported about 30 referrals so far and said services are bilingual and available regardless of insurance.
The Southampton Union Free School District described its participation in Stony Brook's CARE (Child and Adolescent Resource for Emotional health) program, which the district says expands access to assessments, short-term crisis care and follow-up for students in need.
The director of guidance (introduced by the board) told the meeting the partnership offers two levels of service. Level 1 includes monthly professional-development seminars for staff, monthly parent workshops, clinical case conferences for complex student situations, and an advisory newsletter to promote collaboration. Level 2 includes all Level 1 services plus expedited access to same-day or next-day in-person short-term crisis care for high-risk students, mental-health evaluations, substance-misuse assessments, and help coordinating reentry plans after outpatient care.
The presenter said the district has made roughly 30 referrals so far and that families report positive experiences. "They eliminate the need by providing this counseling for unnecessary hospital psychiatric emergency department visits," S7 said, adding that Stony Brook will bill insurance when applicable and will see uninsured students at no cost.
Board members and staff highlighted bilingual capacity and staff training: the presenter said evaluators and many clinicians are bilingual and that the program provides professional development and resources for teachers and families.
District staff said the program also offers potential longer-term benefits such as internships and academic pathways to grow local mental-health workforce capacity in the future. The board encouraged families to consult newsletters and ParentSquare for program details and a QR code the district will circulate for referrals.
