In order to serve students with mental health needs that school district’s staff cannot address, the district has partnered with Responsive Center for Psychology and Learning to provide students and their families convenient access to services they might need.

The mental health therapist from Responsive Center who will work with South students is Tanya Hessong. She will begin coming here on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to noon once a client base has been established. A room will be assigned to her for meetings with students.

That client base is determined by referral. Counselors can refer students to Hessong and Responsive Center if it is determined that the student has a “severe mental health need” which cannot be addressed by the school’s staff, according to Chad Hoffman, counselor.

For example, the school’s staff may not be able to address the mental health need because the extent of the need may require more time than they have due to their other responsibilities in the school, according to Hoffman, or an external therapist might be more appropriate because the need extends beyond the school setting.

The district began this partnership last year at Olathe Northwest. Megan Alspaugh, social worker, said, “The district is trying to do it for all the schools.”

Hessong works at Responsive Center for Psychology & Learning with individuals and families in areas that span mood disorders, depression, anxiety, behavior problems, anger management, trauma, and family/ couple issues. These are the types of problems for which students can be referred to her.

Students’ meetings with Hessong would be held during school hours. Doing so would not mess up any plans students might have before and after school, but the meeting has to be set ahead of time.

The service provided by Hessong and Responsive Center is not school funded; the clients will pay Responsive Center, which will bill the family or the insurance of the family. If the family has money issues, Responsive Center could work on a payment plan for the family.