Auburn Unified School District's new Wellness Centers address student mental health

For one student, it may be having a place to decompress after a particularly emotional morning; for another, it may be a safe haven to have fun and forget about stress. Auburn Union School District's new Wellness Centers aim to meet students emotionally where they are at during a particularly challenging year for mental health. The Wellness Centers were created to provide much-needed mental health access for students and families this year. Superintendent Amber Lee-Alva said students have faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in their routine, breaks in continuity of learning and health care, missed significant life events and lost security and safety. "As the superintendent of Auburn Union School District, I have seen personally the effects of COVID on our students," Lee-Alva said in a letter to the Auburn Journal. "As a mom of a 13-year-old daughter, I have seen my child struggle with anxiety and isolation." Those challenges are why the district teamed up with the Placer County Office of Education, Placer County Children System of Care and Placer County to obtain grant funds to create Wellness Centers at EV Cain Middle, Auburn Elementary, Rock Creek Elementary and Skyridge Elementary schools. "We knew reopening meant more than just recouping learning loss. We also had to address the social, emotional well-being of our children," Lee-Alva said. The Wellness Centers are staffed with mental health and family support specialists during regular school hours. The mental health specialists are licensed therapists whose primary functions are to facilitate the program and provide a continuum of mental health services. The family support specialists have a myriad of experiences with community resources, and their primary function is to work with parents and families to support student success. Sarah Voss Pereira, a mental health specialist at Auburn Elementary, said she works with students in a number of ways to make sure their social and emotional needs are met in a welcoming atmosphere. The services at these centers include: classroom lessons, behavioral interventions and support, lunchtime activities, parent/family classes, staff wellness, staff lessons, classroom observations, small group work, wellness referrals, collaboration with community partnerships, individual case management, therapy, parent consultation, teacher consultations and crisis services. Voss Pereira said one of the most popular programs her Wellness Center runs is the lunchtime games and activities. "It's just a great way, even if it's only 30 minutes, to just have time to play and forget about the stress of COVID and school," Voss Pereira said. "They are interacting positively." The Wellness Centers' guiding principals include promoting universal wellness, respecting the wisdom of students and families, making shared decisions about the program with various stakeholders, protecting positive relationships, fostering connections and advocating for equity and inclusion for all. "Our goal is to offer a program that allows students to have access to mental health wellness and hopefully destigmatizes mental health within our schools," Lee-Alva said. During a recent visit, Lee-Alva shared she saw a second-grader having a meltdown. She described the student as distraught, distracted and making a scene. After a time out in the Wellness Center, where a mental health specialist could address his needs, the student returned to the classroom happy and engaged, she said. A year ago, the district did not have this resource, Lee-Alva said. District-wide teachers, students and families shared one mental health expert. "This program allows us to address situations in the moment or just shortly after," Lee-Alva said. The grant funds, which total $1 million, are expected to last four years. For more information about the program and its services, contact Lee-Alva at ausdsupt@auburn.k12.ca.us.