For some students, the hardest part of getting help is knowing where to begin.
Maybe a student is grieving, navigating a family change, or trying to survive the social pressure that follows them from the school day onto their phone. Maybe a parent knows something is wrong, but does not know who to call, what insurance will cover, or how to fit another appointment into the workday.
That is where Syntero’s school-based services can make a difference.
Through local levy funding from the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (DMMHRSB), Syntero provides school-based prevention, early intervention, and crisis services in local schools at no cost to the family.
Youth and Family Clinical Director for the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board Kristan Warren, said Syntero’s school-based prevention program is one of the largest youth programs the board supports.
“We’ve continually invested in Syntero because the programs work and they’re so well received by the schools,” Warren said.
A student does not need a formal diagnosis or ongoing therapy to benefit. Syntero clinicians provide a place to learn coping skills, emotional regulation, conflict management, or stress management. If needed, they also help connect students with more long-term care.
At Big Walnut High School, Assistant Principal Kelley Bloomer sees the need for Syntero services every day. Students today are navigating a world where the pressures of adolescence do not always end at 3 p.m.
“Being a teenager now is very different than it was 20 years ago,” she said. “I always use the joke of, my bully was gone every day at 3 p.m., and I didn’t have to see her on the weekends. I don’t think kids are able to always turn it off these days due to social media.”
For school staff, this partnership is an extra set of helping hands. Teachers, counselors, and administrators care deeply about students, but they do not have the ability and time to assist every student.
At Dempsey Middle School, Syntero clinician Cara Brady is in the building full time where she focuses on prevention-based skills with students. This typically includes six to 10 individual sessions over the course of a few weeks during the school day. These meetings are not meant to replace long-term therapy, but rather help kids build foundational skills and determine whether more support is needed.
This can include helping a student manage anxiety, process a friend conflict, cope with a breakup, handle anger, improve executive functioning, or learn healthier communication. Syntero clinicians also provide crisis services, including risk assessments and safety planning when students express concerns about harm to themselves or others.
Most importantly, Syntero clinicians provide a space where students can be heard. At a time in their lives where they are trying to understand themselves, sometimes kids just want someone to listen.
“Sometimes this is the open door to getting them on track to where they need to be,” Brady said.
Syntero’s school-based work extends beyond individual student sessions. Clinicians can provide support to teachers, counselors, and administrators if needed. They also offer summer groups funded through the DMMHRSB, giving families another free resource for support outside the regular school year.
For schools in Delaware County, Syntero’s impact is measured in moments that may not always be visible to the public. A student who learns how to get through a panic-filled day, a family that finally has a place to start, or a child in crisis who is not left alone.
To learn more about the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board visit their website. To learn more about Syntero, visit their website.
