Mental Wellness Teams
Volusia County Schools has embedded mental health response and intervention teams across the district to provide identified students with direct mental health assistance and substance abuse services. The District Mental Health Team consists of licensed and registered mental health/marriage and family counselors, social workers, and addictions professionals. Other responsibilities include:
- Reduce the risk of individuals in a crisis situation doing harm to themselves or others
- Conduct evaluative assessments when the initial threat assessment at the school indicated high lethality
- Connect students and families to mental health and community resource services
- Provide crisis counseling in the event of a death or tragic situation.
- Conduct evening workshops for parents and students.
- Provide small group and individual counseling sessions using evidenced based interventions.
- Education and screening for substance abuse concerns (in partnership with SMA Healthcare addiction professionals).
- Facilitate school specific mental health professional learning for district and school-based staff.
To provide a supportive environment, the District Mental Health Team collaborates with school administrations and school counselors to offer support regarding any Voluntary or Involuntary Examinations (Baker Acts*) that may occur on campus.
Examples of educational learning provided to staff, students, and families include but are not limited to:
- Youth Mental Health First Aid (Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training for staff)
- Trauma-Informed care in the Classroom
- School Specific Mental Health Training
- Group Services: Grief, Anger, Coping Skills, etc.
- Substance Use: Signs & Symptoms
- Parent/Guardian Psychoeducation
- Mental Health Integration with Curriculum (Mental Health Education Mandate)
*Baker Act per Florida Statute 394.455(18) is:
- Impairment of the mental or emotional processes that exercise conscious control of one’s actions or of the ability to perceive or understand reality.
- Impairment substantially interferes with a person’s ability to meet the ordinary demands of living.