Alamosa School District’s Supports for Student and Staff Mental Health

Alamosa School District is committed to offering strong mental health supports for their students and staff, as evidenced by their Social Emotional Learning Trauma-Informed Care (SELTIC) plan. This plan serves as the foundation for the district’s social emotional and mental health supports, which include classes focused on trauma-informed care and mental health first aid and free counseling supports for staff and students.  

After joining Youth Connections, the district reorganized the SELTIC plan to align directly with the four rings of the social emotional ecosystem. Notably, the initial training on trauma-informed care and restorative practices was required for every district staff person at the start of the 2019-20 school year, not just educators or those interacting with students.  

A main focus of this professional development is on “adjusting our response from ‘What is wrong with you?’ to ‘I wonder what happened to you?’’’ Tom Hayes, the high school mental health counselor, noted. The impact of these trainings and mindset shifts were noticeable early on, with drastic reductions in the number of behavioral referrals to administrators at the high school. Hayes shared that, “teachers are starting to see we are reaching students and families that would not otherwise be engaged, so they are feeling reinforced and more supported.”  

Additionally, with free counseling support offered through Youth Connections funds, teachers have been able to cope with their own anxiety more effectively and, as a result, be more attuned to students’ needs. Superintendent Diana Jones commented that though the SELTIC plan “really focuses on students, we felt like it was truly important to add in that piece for our teachers because they are the foundation of classrooms and they provide learning environments.” “With the CEI partnership and Youth Connections project, the work is expanding incredibly,” said Hayes.