The first of several steps towards healing for a student struggling with depression is to admit they are struggling. Omaha Public Schools developed a digital process to confidentially and securely understand directly from students what they are experiencing, complete with support from district counseling staff a risk inventory that identifies the level of risk for the student and recommends the therapeutic intervention that is most likely to help the student. Results include improved continuity and consistency in supports for ideating students, system-level data to inform - among other things - when during the school year social-emotional learning lessons are most necessary for delivery, the effectiveness of currently available treatments for students, and a significant reduction in the time required for staff to document their efforts to support ideating students giving them more time for therapeutic intervention and referrals.
