All schools within the Superior North Catholic DSB may use the Greenspace Health measurement platform to better support student mental health needs. The platform empowers students and their providers to leverage an evidence-based process called Measurement-Based Care (MBC) throughout the treatment process.
Measurement-Based Care involves using regular mental health assessments to check in and keep track of how a person is doing throughout care. It allows the client and their provider to better understand their mental health so together, they can adjust care plans as needed and make treatment decisions based on their unique symptoms and challenges. Measurement-Based Care helps keep the clients voice and goals at the centre of care, and empowers them to be an active partner throughout treatment.
How Students Engage in Measurement-Based Care (MBC)
Complete Assessment(s)
There are a few ways students may complete their assessments:
- Students under 12: Assessments will be completed in session with their social worker. In some cases, parents will be asked to complete assessments on their behalf.
- Students 12 and above: Assessments will either be completed in session with your social worker or you may receive your assessments via email or text to complete on your preferred device (eg. desktop, phone, tablet).
- Teachers: Some assessments are designed to be completed by the student's teacher.
Each assessment is short and will only take a few minutes to complete. Students may be asked to complete these once every 1, 2, 4 or 8 weeks, dependent on their care plans. Some common assessments that students may be asked to complete include: GAD-7, PHQ-9, RCADS, Rosenberg, PSC -17, SNAP-IV, SCARED
View Results
Students who engage in assessments with the social worker will review the results with the worker during a regular scheduled session wherever possible. Parents are invited to reach out to their child’s worker to make arrangements to also view the results.
Student assessment results may also be used to arrange referrals to community-based services if more acute support is needed, or if ongoing support is required when the school year is complete.
Reflect on Changes
It’s extremely helpful for students to take a few minutes to reflect on their results to determine if there’s anything they want to talk about in their next session. Does anything stand out? Has something changed significantly since your last assessment? Is there anything in your life that you think may be impacting any negative or positive changes? Learn more about the benefits of checking in on your progress throughout care and the impact of reflecting on your results below!
What are the benefits of Measurement-Based Care?
Imagine living with diabetes without a glucose meter to monitor your blood sugar levels! Not only does your doctor need that information to diagnose you and determine/adjust your course of treatment based on the results, but you can also monitor your own glucose levels at home, learn to manage your symptoms, and better understand your needs and communicate them throughout your care process.
Adding data into mental health treatment is just as important. There are so many benefits to completing regular assessments throughout treatment:
Better understand yourself - By accessing your assessment results and monitoring your own progress, you can learn more about your mental health and develop a shared language to communicate your needs to your provider, and those around you. This helps your provider keep your thoughts, experiences, and challenges at the heart of the care process.
Recognize symptom changes - Regular assessments will help you and your provider uncover patterns in your symptoms and understand what might contribute to changes in your mental health.
Transparency into your progress - These assessments help your therapist have more insight into your progress and experience throughout treatment, which fosters collaborative treatment decision-making, and leads to earlier detection of improvement, regression, or new challenges.
Become a partner in your care - By learning more about your mental health, you are empowered with the knowledge and language to surface what you think is important with your therapist. This can help you work more collaboratively with them and build a stronger therapeutic bond– which is one of the greatest drivers of positive outcomes in care.
Find hope when you need it - Progress is not always linear; there can be good days and bad days. By monitoring your progress, you can always see and reflect on how far you’ve come and find hope when you need it most.
Want to learn more about Greenspace or Measurement-Based Care and how it can help enhance your care experience? Check out some of the resources below:
What is Measurement-Based Care?
Measurement-Based Care for Clients
Video: Dr. Amber Childs - Introducing MBC
If your child is receiving mental health care through school-based services and you have any questions about Greenspace, Measurement-Based Care, or mental health assessments, please reach out to the Superior North Catholic District School Board Mental Health Lead at 807-825-2018.