In March 2014, over three hundred people participated in a Community Conversation about Mental Health and Alcohol & Drug Abuse. Three major areas that were identified as needing more work were: access, education, and coordination. Fortified with that information, United Way of Sheboygan is launching a program in the fall to improve access to mental health services for students who are unable to obtain care.  This program, which will be run through schools, is called PATH – Providing Access to Healing.  It is new to Sheboygan County, but has a proven track record in other communities.

The PATH program was created in 2008, in response to the growing need for health services in the Fox Valley.  This program offers mental health services to students who are experiencing barriers to care, such as limited financial resources, parent work schedules, lack of reliable transportation, language barriers and lack of parental support.  Most students in the program are from families that are either uninsured or under-insured.

Mental illnesses are diseases of brain function.  Their causes are varied, including complex interactions between a person’s genes and the environment where they grow.  A mental illness is not the result of poor moral character or bad personal choices.  It is an illness of the mind, rather than the body. 

Mental illness occurs in every country, every culture, and every socio-economic group.  About 20% of young people suffer from it in any given year.  Those struggling with a mental illness face further challenges in gaining entry to care systems and finding providers.  But science has made great strides in the last decade, in identifying how the brain works and develops.  This project aims to solve the other half of that problem, by bringing services to students in their schools.

Typical issues faced by students in the program are depression, anxiety, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder and relationship issues.  PATH helps identify students who really need help, distinguishing them from those who are merely “going through a phase”.  It teaches coping skills that can help with immediate problems, and can be applied to future challenges.

PATH is provided in schools because it provides a safe and accepting environment to make parents and students comfortable, parents don’t need to take time off work for the therapy, and students miss less school time. A school setting can also help “normalize” the mental health program as students access the benefit within their school day schedule.  Many high school students in the Fox Valley program self-referred.

Therapy for students who need help is provided by licensed, experienced therapists who have specific expertise in working with children and adolescents.  The results are remarkable – nearly three-quarters of young people in the Fox Valley program saw reduced symptoms and increased functioning, and more than six in ten improved their academic performance and behavior in school.  More than 95% of participants indicated that they would return for therapy if needed.

An analysis by the Robert Follette School of Public Affairs (at the University of Wisconsin) established the measurable benefits of this program – approximately $49,000 per student in avoided medical costs, increased productivity and lifetime earnings, and other benefits.  School districts experienced decreased truancy and behavior issues.

Random Lake School District will offer the program to its students at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year. Therapy will be provided by a Master’s level, licensed therapist from Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. United Way will support the program by covering financial gaps for services and measuring program outcomes for success, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

Everyone can benefit from building better life skills, planning a purposeful life, and taking action for happiness. PATH supports youth in acquiring the ability to live well, a United Way goal for all members of our community.