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In today’s fast-paced world, the mental health of our youth is more important than ever. In the NCESD region, more than half (58%) of the students who responded to the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey struggle with feeling “nervous, anxious, or on edge” for several days or more throughout a two-week period.

Universal Mental Health Screening (UMHS) is a proactive approach to identifying and addressing mental health concerns in students before they escalate. This initiative aims to create a supportive environment where students can thrive both academically and personally.

UMHS involves screening groups of students for mental health struggles, regardless of individual warning signs or risk factors. This population-level screening helps identify youth with emerging mental health concerns that may not yet be apparent to others. By offering mental health services and skills earlier, we can support students in becoming ready to benefit from instruction and learning at school.

The Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) is a collaborative effort of the Health Care Authority – Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR), the Department of Health (DOH), the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB), and the contractor, Looking Glass Analytics. This biennial survey is administered to 6th-12th grade students across the state.

To better support school districts, statewide efforts have been put in place to support districts in implementing Universal Mental Health Screening (UMHS) and other mental health initiatives. One such effort is the employment of Behavioral Health Navigators through HB 1216. These individuals play a crucial role in increasing access to behavioral health services and supports for students and families.

Shelley Seslar, NCESD’s Managing Director of Behavioral Health Services, serves as the Behavioral Health Navigator for the NCESD region and is available to consult and provide technical assistance to schools as they develop their behavioral health support and initiatives in their school system.

Implementing UMHS comes with its own set of benefits and challenges. Early detection can educate youth about the availability of help and how to find it. It diverts youth with mental health struggles into support services sooner, preventing years of potential impacts on their lives, explained Seslar.

“When youth struggle to feel mentally well, they often struggle to succeed academically due to multiple factors,” Seslar added. “The same barriers to mental wellness can be barriers to attendance and success at school, including relationship difficulties, internal anxiety, depressive thoughts, economic instability, poor nutrition or housing, and more.”

When UMHS is integrated into a school system, it assists school staff in monitoring, recognizing, and intervening early with personalized services that address each student’s unique needs, both at school and within the community. This support prepares students to effectively engage in classroom learning.

However, UMHS requires a well-coordinated effort involving school support staff, administrators, parents, and community partners to ensure the necessary resources and services are in place before the screening process begins.

Seslar laid out 3 critical steps for the successful implementation of UMHS in a school system:

Wenatchee High School provides an excellent example of UMHS in action. Since 2019, the school has offered voluntary mental health check-ins for students, with support from community mental health professionals and the Youth Crisis Team. These check-ins have helped reduce the stigma around mental health and provided students with the support they need to thrive.

Once a year, students are given the opportunity to participate in a mental health check-in. It is always voluntary and no student is ever required to take it, explained Bob Sanford, School Social Worker at Wenatchee High School.

The screening involves a several-step process to ensure proper communication and resources are provided to students and their families. These steps include sending a letter home to parents informing them of the process, sharing a video with students outlining the process for the day, offering each student an opportunity to fill out the PHQ-9 Depression Scale Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment, and introducing students who meet specific scoring criteria to a mental health professional from the community.

Parents or guardians will receive a call if their student met with a mental health professional that day, Sanford added. “We do not share scores or personal information unless the student authorizes that.”

Over the next few weeks, Wenatchee High School support staff follow up with students who met with a mental health professional during the check-in and work to connect them with community support if requested.

Wenatchee High School has provided this opportunity for Freshmen since 2019, Sophomores since 2021, and Junior/Senior classes since 2022. The school uses the Healthy Youth Survey as an indicator of improvements in the district.

“The benefits are both objective and subjective,” explained Sandford. “Support staff are recognizing changes in student behaviors and a lowered stigma around mental health since implementing these check-ins.”

As adults, it’s crucial to pay attention to the mental health of the youth in our lives, emphasized Sanford. “Check in with students. Reach out for help if needed; schools can help connect parents and students to community resources if requested.”

For school districts, Sanford urges them to explore implementing wellness or mental health check-ins in schools. “The benefits are unmeasurable regarding the connections created, the bridging of school to home, and the stigma being reduced,” he shared.

Universal Mental Health Screening is a powerful tool for early intervention and support. By identifying and addressing mental health concerns early, schools can help youth build a strong foundation for a successful future.

Contact NCESD Behavioral Health Navigator, Shelley Seslar, by calling 509-665-2626 or emailing NCESD at info@ncesd.org.

Read Shelley’s blog series from 2022 which introduces UMHS and provides best practices:

• Universal Mental Health Screening Benefits and Challenges (Part 1)
• Initial steps critical to implementing your first UMHS (Part 2)
• Important preparation for success (Part 3)
• Logistics necessary to ensure successful implementation (Part 4)

Explore other resources like:

• NCESD Behavioral Health Resources
• OSPI Behavioral Health Resources
• AESD Behavioral Health Resources
• Washington Healthy Youth Survey