At only 12 years old, Faye’s Mental Health issues made it almost impossible for her to learn in school. Faye, suffering the affect of past trauma, would become overwhelmed by any number of triggers—other students, teachers, noise— and seek escape by hiding beneath her desk or running from the classroom on a daily basis. To combat these emotional issues, Faye had been placed in a specialized classroom. Unfortunately, Faye’s needs required more support, so she was placed in a SBMH classroom. In SBMH, Faye was matched with a therapist and a Behavioral Counselor who targeted her emotional and academic needs.

When first placed in SBMH, staff focused on making Faye’s transition as smooth as possible. Faye was matched with a new therapist who worked closely with her previous therapist as well as with Faye’s family, building a rapport with Faye and earning her trust. As Faye suffered from a very high level of anxiety, SBMH staff employed a lot of different non-verbal techniques with her. Non-verbal tools, such as Faye using a red stop sign, provided Faye an opportunity to take space and self-regulate when she felt overwhelmed. In addition to these tools, SBMH staff established a proper rewards system for Faye, such as getting to listen to music or have a piece of her favorite gum.

Much of Faye’s frustration with school came from her difficulty in expressing herself. By working with Faye’s parents, SBMH staff was able to establish a safe environment for Faye to express her needs while in the classroom and at home. As Faye grew more comfortable in her new environment, she was able to learn the tools she needed to respond more appropriately to her triggers. With each positive response, Faye was praised by her SBMH team. And each positive word caused Faye to literally blossom with increased self-confidence— smiling and holding her head up high. Additionally, as her anxiety lessened, Faye was able to focus on learning and completing tasks, improving her academic performance in turn.

Faye’s marked improvement started to become evident about three months into the new school year as her good days were greatly outweighing her bad ones. No longer cowering from social interactions, Faye started to crave positive attention from her peers and showed a strong desire to forge friendships. While Faye is still in the process of learning and growing, SBMH staff is excited to watch her ongoing progress, knowing that the skills she is learning now will not only improve her current situation, but will carry her forward into a much more promising future.

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*names and photos of clients are ficticious to protect their identity