Skip to content
James Wogan LCSW

James Wogan LCSW

  • After Teen Death by Suicide – “Postvention Toolkit” for Schools.
  • Child, Adolescent, Couples, Family Therapy, Oakland, California
  • Clinical Supervision toward LMFT / LCSW Licensure 
  • District Positive Behavior Team
  • Homeless Education in California
  • James Wogan Bio: Education & Background
  • Kindness in a 3rd grade classroom
  • School Coordinated Care Teams
  • School Wellness Centers
  • Social Work (MSW) Internship in California
  • Suicide Prevention during COVID
  • Trainings / Professional Development / Conference Workshops
  • About Wogan
  • Contact James Wogan 

Tag: School Wellness Centers

May 25, 2022June 11, 2022 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education, Equity and shared vision, Gun Violence, Mental Health

Evaluating Danger to Others

I’ve confiscated guns from high school students, conducted risk of harm danger-to-others 5150 evaluations, and sent texts to my own family, “If I don’t make it home tonight, just know I love you.” For example, when a student (16) posted on Snapchat with a rifle, another student took a screen shot and shared it; The principal called me and said, “I really don’t know what to do, how soon can you get here?”

We met with student and conducted risk evaluation, (similar to suicide risk assessment), spoke with his family, collected the weapon, and made sure there were no other firearms accessible to children in the house.

I’ve co-led trainings on de-escalation with law enforcement, led trauma-informed practices trainings and professional development for educators, child welfare social workers and interns, and behavioral health professionals.

At each training, we ask ourselves, “what more can we be doing to prevent death by gun violence? What more can I do to prevent another gun-violence-at-school tragedy?

Too often we, mental health professionals, tend not to serve or under serve difficult clients with what’s deemed to be volitional behavior. In schools, initial decisions about whether or not behavior will be addressed as a discipline matter (volitional) vs. a mental health a concern, is made by school administrators. Many educational leaders, however, report that they don’t have the level of training needed to evaluate students with potentially dangerous behaviors.

Additionally, even after students are identified as in need of behavioral health support, school counselors and support staff must engage with students and families to obtain informed consent to participate in services. Counselors are less likely to pursue consent for students who say, “I’m not interested in therapy,” even when their behavior demonstrates a need.

Some parents and guardians are reluctant or outright opposed to “mental health” services for their children. Equity and shared vision guides our work and we must acknowledge that many parents, especially parents of color, had negative experiences when they were in school; it’s important to understand the reasons for their caution and hesitations when it comes to mental health services.

Counseling support is often centered around a student’s school day, social emotional learning, and academic progress. Many school personnel meet and communicate with parents and guardians, but few professionals are trained to improve family relationships and dynamics, a key factor in youth mental health. After a tragic loss in mass shootings by school-age youth, bullying and exclusion is often cited as a reason for violence. It’s difficult to question if family dysfunction played a role in violence that occurred, especially if family members were also victims of gun violence. Sadly, this was the case in mass shooting at Robb Elementary School yesterday in Uvalde, Texas (21 killed) and at Sandy Hook Elementary School (26 killed).

School-based Mental Health Programs: Some innovative programs are making inroads engaging families and extended support networks to provide multi-generational support. Even with recent successes and improvements in mental health and school-based mental health programs, we are serving 1 in 5 students identified as needing support services.

Beyond Co-location: Post pandemic, school personnel and partnership agencies have had success reaching out tenaciously to build trust with students and families.

School social workers offer multi-faceted solutions include 5-component “packages of support” that combine professional services, youth enrichment positive activities, and three other people or programs on each child’s team, based on self-determination and each child’s unique needs. Evaluation and referral, care coordination (case management), helps to link students with specialized services, physicians, and child psychiatrists.

Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, and The California Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup at CDE have put forward excellent policy recommendations.

https://jameswogan.com/2022/02/26/student-mental-health-policy-workgroup/

Our job, as practitioners, is to put policy into practice.

James Wogan, LCSW

March 16, 2022 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education, Equity and shared vision, School Social Work

Wogan’s Book: Student Support Teams

Wogan’s book arrived: Student Support Teams, Coordinated Care Teams, SARB, Expanded Equity Partnerships, Care Coordination (Case Management) Inter-Agency Collaboration, School/based Mental Health, helping (and learning from) kids.

Amazon Link: Developing Your School’s Student Support Teams: A Practical Guide for K-12 Leaders, Student Services Personnel, and Mental Health Staff https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q4MRX8T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_E9YYAWM485KCMA9DXE86

February 26, 2022 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education, Equity, Equity and shared vision, School Social Work

Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup

James Wogan was selected to be a member of CDE’s Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup
(SMHPW). The purpose of the distinguished SMHPW is to assess the mental health needs of
California students and gather evidence to support policy recommendations to the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPPI) and the California Legislature. This multi-disciplinary workgroup is comprised of teachers, school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and school administrators, and state and county mental health professionals.

February 6, 2022February 6, 2022 James Wogan MFT LCSW Equity and shared vision

Student Support Teams (Book), Equity, Coordinated Care Teams, SST Process, Partnerships.

By Blonsky, Berta and Wogan

https://www.routledge.com/Developing-Your-Schools-Student-Support-Teams-A-Practical-Guide-for/Berta-Blonsky-Wogan/p/book/9781032146294

November 25, 2021November 25, 2021 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education, Equity and shared vision, School Social Work

Suicide Prevention Resources and Handbooks:

Comprehensive Prevention Toolkit

K-12 Comprehensive Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention:

Columbia Suicide Risk Assessment / Suicide Severity Rating Scale, Strengths, Risk Factors, Precipitants. From Harvard, ask about access to firearms regardless of means.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lf6fxkk17rrys24/Columbia%20Suicide%20Risk%20Assessment%208%20.pdf?dl=0

Suicide Prevention: Tips for Parents and Educators, NASP  

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yprnrxa2wx4qysl/Suicide%20Prevention%20PDF%20NASP.pdf?dl=0

Suicide Prevention: Tips for Parents and Educators, NASP  (Spanish) 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mkzqp5tw5d9pj9k/NASP%20Suicide%20Prevention%20Tips%20Spanish%20.pdf?dl=0

Postvention Toolkit for School Administrators, Counselors, and School Social Workers 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2g5w13zhydfs0lr/Postvention%20Toolkit%20After%20Suicide%20.pdf?dl=0

Together not alone

Resources: 

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/cg/mh/suicideprevres.asp

https://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/practice/suicide-risk-in-schools-what-social-workers-need-to-know/

www.eachmindmatters.org

www.bringchange2mind.org

For more information: James Wogan, MFT, LCSW

February 28, 2021June 11, 2022 James Wogan MFT LCSW Education

Street Art for Teen Mental Health

flipboard.com/@jameswogan/wellness-education-equity-e5ctgjrkz

February 6, 2021 James Wogan MFT LCSW Education

Equity and Shared Vision

Normalize racial dialogue. Lead with empathy. Be healthy so we can respond authentically. Growth happens outside of comfort zones.

James Wogan, LCSW, featured speaker (main stage), ACSA Symposium Conference 2021.

Educational leadership. Association California School Administrators (ACSA).

November 27, 2020November 26, 2021 James Wogan MFT LCSW Education

Title IX Consent Card

Developed by high school students for high school students, facilitated by Wogan

November 18, 2020November 26, 2021 James Wogan MFT LCSW Education

Wellness Workshops for Parents / Guardians: Parenting during Pandemic

November 5, 2020November 10, 2020 James Wogan MFT LCSW Education

School Based Mental Health (SBMH) Guidebook

www.dropbox.com/s/yf375ywj6rf0ieb/School Based Mental Health Guide Book SBMH.pdf

Recently released School Based Mental Health (SBMH) Guidebook. Authors across disciplines (School Social Work, School Psychology, and School Counseling PPSC) collaborated to develop this manual. 

 


 

January 5, 2019 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education

Youth | Crisis Support Services of Alameda County

Youth | Crisis Support Services of Alameda County
— Read on www.crisissupport.org/resources/suicide-prevention/youth/

Suicide Prevention in Alameda County. You’re not alone. Maybe it’s hard to imagine things getting better, but they can, and they will. Reach out. People you don’t even know will be there for you.

November 18, 2018November 18, 2018 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education, Equity and shared vision, School Social Work

Suicide Spike Alert: children and teenagers are attempting and dying by suicide at younger ages, and far more often.

Children and teens, especially young girls, are attempting and thinking about suicide far more often than they were a decade ago.

See article in TIME MAGAZINE:

time.com/5279029/suicide-rates-rising-study/

Reach Out. Ask.

Connect that Friend or Family Member with Support.


You’re not alone.

Tel #: :1-800-273-8255

24/7 365:

1.800.273.8255


Online Chat: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/


September 16, 2018September 16, 2018 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education, Equity and shared vision, School Social Work

Mental Health at Work

Mental Health at Work is important for all of us. Shout out to Prince William, link below.

www.prevention.com/health/mental-health/a23104961/prince-william-mental-health-at-work/

Staff Wellness Program operates out of the Wellness Center.

Positive work environment, appreciation, climate, diversity, breaks & celebration, culture, equity, gender respect, shared vision, meeting in circles, Wellness Center, “work friends” with inclusiveness.

“Package of 5 Wellness Model”

We avoid the simple solutions. We try not to say “If we could just…” because that reinforces a consumer mentality. What’s your Fave 5 when it comes to mental health and work wellness? Five (5) things, when combined together, make a big difference in our own health and wellness.

Oh yeah.

July 17, 2018 James Wogan MFT LCSW Education

How Writing Can Help You Cut Your Math Anxiety by 50%

flip.it/QdPcsH

Self reflection can be a magical tool. Writing a memoir about one’s journey with math has been shown to lower anxiety. See link to article.

flip.it/QdPcsH

The next step is to combine writing reflections with other supports. Peer-to-Peer cohort group experiences, for example, help to validate and normalize common childhood experiences. “Oh you too” moments help to increase emotional wellness, and social connections around shared experiences. Facilitated dialogue, reflection, and supporting others increases behavioral health.

Writing about math can be especially helpful for girls, young women who often decide by 7th grade if they are “smart” or not, using math as a measure.

Hats off to teachers of math who inspire, scaffold, and support the learning of each student. It’s a small distinction, through the lens of equity, “each student” vs. “all students.”

Behavioral health vs mental illness. “Packages of support.” Let’s work on child and adolescent wellness together.

June 5, 2017August 1, 2022 James Wogan MFT LCSW Behavioral Health, Education, Equity and shared vision, School Social Work

School Wellness Centers 

Why Wellness in Schools?

SCHOOL WELLNESS CENTERS are a powerful investment in the health and
academic potential of children and adolescents. They provide access to caring
adults and services such as primary care, counseling, mentoring, and peer-to-peer
support. School Wellness Centers support teachers by assisting children and
adolescents to thrive in the classroom and beyond!

IMG_9473


SCHOOL WELLNESS CENTERS provide access to free health care,
behavioral health services, and positive youth activities in a location that is fun,
safe, and convenient – at school. Parent University is one of the many great
programs that are offered at School Wellness Centers.
http://www.pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583

SCHOOL WELLNESS CENTERS contribute directly to school and Mt. Diablo
Unified School District goals under LCAP, such as improved rates of attendance,
support for special populations, and parent and guardian engagement. School
administrators, teachers, and support staff work together to improve social,
emotional, and behavioral health. School Wellness Centers bring people
together with a shared vision for equity and the healthy development of children.
They also provide a platform for inter-agency collaboration, making resources
from the community accessible to children and families in the school setting.

See more at: UCLA SMHP

School-Based Health

For more information about School Wellness Centers, please contact:
James Wogan, MFT, LCSW, PPSC

Administrator, School Linked Services

Student Services Department, Mt. Diablo Unified

I-Message / Text: 925.250.5500

jameswogan@yahoo.com

@jameswogan

Welcome to www.jameswogan.com

Recent Posts

  • Substance Abuse vs. “Self Medication” February 13, 2023
  • What % of teen lives do parents know about ? January 15, 2023
  • Pro Athletes in Therapy November 26, 2022
  • Mental Health Challenge September 18, 2022
  • Recent Immigrant and Refugee Students August 8, 2022
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • James Wogan LCSW
    • Join 87 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • James Wogan LCSW
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.