Handle With Care

more social workers could allow students
to have more meaningful time to
speak with their social worker. Due to
the amount of social workers, students
typically receive 15 minutes to meet
with their social worker.
Maya mentioned being frustrated
that she felt her time was rushed as the
social worker had other students scheduled
to meet with after her.
Despite some concerns about the
length of meetings during the school
day, students can meet with their social
workers beginning at 7:45 a.m. and go
the event of a mental health emergency.
However, Maya feels that these policies
gency
appointments with social workers
are not supposed to be scheduled
during academic classes.
“Class shouldn’t be the most important
thing in [a mental health] scenario,”
Maya said. “Getting back to my English
lesson shouldn’t be more important
than [saying], ‘Hey, I’m going through
something right now, and I need to talk
about it.’”
Despite Maya feeling as though social
workers do not have the time to
meaningfully address her concerns,
some students describe having valuable
relationships with their social workers.
Kroc, who often visits her social
worker, thinks that social workers facilitate
positive relationships with their
students partly through outreach in
advisories.
“I’m super comfortable going to my
social worker; I believe that we have a
super strong connection,” Kroc said.
“Advisory as a freshman was really, really
helpful [for] introducing our social
workers.”
Alongside outreach in freshman advisories,
the “Report a Concern” program
is one way SSTs identify students
they need to meet with. By scanning a
QR code on signs around Stevenson,
students can alert the administration
of observed concerns, including mental
health struggles. According to Bowen,
it is also common for students to walk
to Student Services to alert teachers and
gists
or counselors.
“I’m so proud that our students do
such a good job of looking out for one
another and taking care of one another,”
Bowen said. “They are often the
share concerns about their friends and
their peers.”
Bowen estimates that it is more common
for students to report concerns
in-person as opposed to through the
website. However, many students, including
Kroc, have still used the website
after witnessing a safety concern.
Administrators check the website each
school day so any concern is addressed
quickly.
“I submitted a report, and the next
day I had to write a statement with my
dean,” Kroc said. “I think people just
need to know [that Report a Concern
is] there and utilize it when they need
to.”
Kroc reported a safety concern due
to a teacher, but some students feel that
cult.
Students like Maya are reluctant to
report other students because it seems
like a breach of trust.
one’s going to report their friend…[because
it feels like] you’re going behind
their back and telling an adult something
that is very private,” Maya said.
Some students may also feel hesitant
reaching out to social workers
due to mandated reporting. Mandated
reporting is the duty of social workers
and psychologists to alert appropriate
authorities—including parents—if
students disclose information indicating
that they are in danger of harming
themselves or others.
“That’s our challenge:
how do we get the word
out and also make sure
we’re accessible for
students’ needs?”
Janet Sushinski,
Social Worker
hesitancy some may feel, they want to
convey that mandated reporting allows
students to be safer. Social workers like
Sushinski also advocate for students to
review mandated reporting rules with
their social worker at the beginning of
an appointment.
Sushinski said. “I always tell students…
to use the ‘what if’ scenario; ‘Hey, Ms.
Sushinski, what if somebody told you
that their parent threw a plate across
that be something you have to report?’”
Sushinski believes that students asking
if a hypothetical problem will be
reported and disclosing personal details
allows them to know which details
need to be reported for their safety. In
Sushinski’s example, she would not need
to report the information. However,
social workers aren’t the only mandated
reporters; any safety concerns that stu-
reported to the Department of Children
and Family Services and SSTs.
their teachers about their problems because
they are more familiar with their
teachers than their SST. Bowen says
that all Stevenson faculty participate in
mental health training once a year, so
teachers are able to talk with students
or refer them to their SSTs in the case
of an emergency. Although teachers can
take the initiative to alert SSTs, Kroc
encourages students to seek out their
social worker directly to handle mental
health concerns.
“I think a lot of students just don’t
realize that you can have a casual conversation
with your social worker and
[create a] plan, whether [the issue is]
academic or personal,” Kroc said. “My
social worker and I work weekly together
and a lot of the things that we
talk about are just personal life issues,
challenges and also [my] personal traits
and characteristics.”
*Name changed to protect anonymity
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