Mental Health Resource Center :: San Diego City Schools

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Mental Health Resource Center (MHRC)


•	Overview
•	Goals & Objectives
•	Services & Programs
•	Related Resources
•	Contact Information

Overview
San Diego City Schools' Mental Health Resource Center (MHRC) provides mental health treatment for students in order to reduce violence and substance abuse, reduce emotional symptoms, improve behavior, raise achievement, and increase attendance. MHRC provides assessment, case management, and treatment for students in all grade levels. This center is part of the Student Services Department.

MHRC programs are designed to fill service gaps in existing mental health services, provide prevention and intervention activities, and to reduce violence and drug use among high-risk youth. MHRC is a Medi-Cal facility through the County of San Diego and is partially funded through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant funded by the Departments of Education, Juvenile Justice, and Children's Mental Health Services.

Goals and Objectives
The major components of MHRC include early screening, accessibility of mental health service, coordination with community mental health providers, and parental involvement. MHRC also provides service plan development and direct treatment--which can include medical, case management, and consultation services--as well as service monitoring and review.

These components correspond with the six key elements of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative:

Create a safe school environment.
Address alcohol and other drugs and violence prevention and early intervention.
Increase school and community mental health prevention and treatment services.
Address early childhood psychosocial and emotional development.
Create new strategies for educational reform.
Implement safe school policies.

Services & Programs


•	Clinical mental health services including assessment, treatment, and case management for targeted schools.
•	Community Assessment teams provide mental health treatment and case management for students and their families.
•	Selected outside agencies provide contracted services to deliver mental health services to those students and their families who need specialized care.
•	Healthy Start Coordinators implement and oversee the referral process for students with behaviors interfering with school success.
•	Probation officers provide support for students at risk or recently transitioning out of the juvenile justice system.
•	Mentoring is offered for early intervention to minimize further at-risk behaviors.
•	Parenting classes are offered at preschool and elementary sites
•	The Second Step violence prevention curriculum is offered at preschool and elementary sites.
•	The Life Skills Education curriculum is offered at the middle school level and helps students to develop the skills necessary to resist drugs, improve social skills, manage anger and set attainable goals.
•	Special Education Intensive Outpatient Program provides daily service for elementary emotionally disturbed (ED) students.
•	Special Education New Dawn Day Treatment Program provides intensive day treatment services for emtionally disturbed (ED) high school students.
•	Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program provides outpatient services to Medi-Cal students.

Related Resources


•	MHRC Fact Sheet: English \| Spanish
•	National Institute for Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov
•	National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, San Diego: www.namisandiego.org/
•	Second Step: www.cfchildren.org/program_ss.shtml An elementary violence prevention curriculum focused on teaching and improving empathy, impulse control, and anger management.
•	Life Skills Training: www.lifeskillstraining.com A middle school drug prevention curriculum aimed at changing behavior by teaching social resistance skills, personal self-management skills, and general social skills.

Contact Information

Mental Health Resource Center
2351 Cardinal Lane, Annex B
San Diego, CA 92123

(858) 573-2227 - Phone
(858) 496-2113 - Fax

Key Contacts

Shirley Culver, Program Manager	(858) 573-2228
Jenny McNulty, Project Coordinator	(858) 573-2233
Stacey Musso, Lead Licensed Mental Health Clinician	(858) 496-1655
Betty Plewak, Lead Licensed Mental Health Clinician	(858) 573-2237
Marie Saragosa, Program Development	(619) 925-0287
Sally Tucker, Section 504/ADA, Student Assistance Program and 2726 Special Education Program	(858) 627-7583