At Children's Wisconsin, our mental health therapists want to help kids and families. They already work in hospitals and clinics, but now they are also going into schools.

We offer mental health services in schools for families who have a hard time getting their child to a clinic. This might be because they have trouble with transportation, finding someone to watch other children or dealing with money problems.

When a therapist works in a school, they can talk to your child's teachers to help them understand your child's needs. This helps the teachers support your child so they can learn and do their best in class. The main goal is to help your child grow and be healthy at school.

Our therapists work with kids and families who are having a lot of different feelings or behavior problems. Some of the problems we can help with in schools include:

• ADHD: Trouble paying attention or sitting still
• Depression: Feeling very sad for a long time
• Anxiety: Feeling worried or scared a lot
• Trauma and PTSD: Dealing with a scary event
• Behavior problems: Having a hard time following rules
• Stress: Having trouble with changes in life
• Grief: Dealing with the death of a loved one
• Family Changes: When a child is not living with their parents

After your child is referred, you'll have a meeting called an intake appointment with a therapist. Sometimes your child will come with you, depending on their age.

At this meeting, you will fill out papers that allow your child to get mental health help. You'll also give the therapist permission to talk to your child's teachers and other school staff.

The therapist will ask questions to learn about your child's strengths, family, and any problems they're having. After this, the therapist will give a diagnosis (which is a name for the problem) and suggest how therapy can help. If your child needs a different kind of help, the therapist might refer you to another program.

You and the therapist will work together to create treatment goals for your child. These goals will be looked at often, and your ideas are important.

Our therapists use methods that are proven to work. This means that researchers have shown these strategies can help with your child's specific problem.

Even though therapy happens at school, it's very important for you to be involved. Parents know their children best, and your help is key to reaching the goals. How much you participate might change based on your child's age and what they're dealing with.

If you want to know if these services are right for your child, you can talk to your child's principal, school social worker or school psychologist.