FHSD Mental Health Partners Share Insights
Forest Hills School District is committed to expanding opportunities for students, parents and community members to learn more about mental health and connect with resources. On Monday, March 21, two crucial community partners shared their insights in relation to mental health in a video presentation that was livestreamed online.
“The area of wellness is one of our district’s four cornerstones which drives our work and guides how we support and serve children every day,” said Kelley Brazeau, FHSD Student Services Director for Wellness. “Within our Wellness Cornerstone, one of our priorities is parent and community connections. We want to continually grow in support of these two critical areas.”
Dr. Jennifer Wright-Berryman, an associate professor at UC’s College of Allied Health Sciences and an expert in suicidology, spoke about the importance of community connection in relation to suicide prevention.
“Community and connection are the most important protective factors when it comes to preventing suicide,” Wright-Berryman said.
She stressed the importance of paying attention to people who might be struggling and said that kind of connection fosters belongingness, trust, security, well-being and positive experiences. “I believe that a sense of tribe and community can help lift someone out of this despair,” Wright-Berryman said.
Krissie Myers, Educational Liaison for Child Focus, shared information about signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
“We are eager to try to connect kids to resources when it’s needed and help prevent those ongoing mental health issues and concerns,” Myers said.
FHSD is proud to partner with Child Focus to offer mental health services and other support to students. You can find more information about the agency here.
If you, your student, or anyone else you know is in a life-threatening mental health crisis, call 911.
- Please also be aware of suicide hotline contact information: Phone - 1-800-273-TALK
- If your student is experiencing a non-life threatening mental health crisis and you need direction on next steps to stay safe, we urge you to call the Psychiatric Intake Response Center (PIRC) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The PIRC line is 513.636.4124. This line is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Text - Text “NAMI” to 741-741 for access to 24/7 mental health crisis counseling via text.
- If you have concerns about threats to student safety, we urge you to call or text the Safer Ohio School Tip Line at 844-SaferOH. This line is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you are seeking additional resources, we encourage you to start at the links below:
