Mental Health and Schools Together

What is MAST-NH?

MAST-NH, or Mental Health and Schools Together - New Hampshire, is a NH CEBIS project funded by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. This demonstration project in eight communities statewide is designed to integrate school and community mental health services for students needing comprehensive support for social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. The goal of the project will be to streamline the process and increase access to mental health and other community-based services to children and families in need.

Eight communities in New Hampshire will benefit from this initiative: Peterborough, Dover, Candia, Somersworth, Londonderry, Franklin,Tilton and Littleton. Regional collaboratives will be created that include individuals working with the children of these communities and their families, local schools, mental health agencies, juvenile justice agencies, and community organizations.

The MAST-NH initiative contains several distinct yet interrelated themes; all designed to build capacity, improve communication and design a seamless continuum of care. These include:

Developing regional interagency collaboratives with school partners to:

  • Streamline access to care
  • Develop common protocols

Building capacity for wraparound support by:

  • Developing a common curriculum and training process
  • Training wraparound mentors
  • Identifying potential wrap facilitators

Improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues by:

  • Identifying issues early
  • Training school personnel in Systematic Screening for Behavioral Disorders (SSBD)
  • Developing a mental health primer for diagnosis and awareness
  • Increasing training and capacity for Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI)

Mapping community resources at the local and regional level

Using function-based support consistently and across contexts

Making information and technical assistance available online

This 18-month planning and demonstration grant, funded in the amount of $368,605, is a collaborative venture between NH CEBIS at SERESC. the Londonderry School District and the 25 schools within the eight communities.

Background Info on MAST-NH

NH CEBIS Certifies First LSCI Trainers in NH

Posted: 5 Nov 07 07:00

Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) is a therapeutic, verbal strategy for intervening with children and adults in crisis. LSCI is effective in helping to manage the crisis that occurs when an incident escalates into an emotionally charged or explosive conflict. LSCI trained mediators work to defuse the situation and untangle the dynamic of the student's actions, the reactions of others and the private world of feelings and faulty assumptions that often serves as the foundation for such behavior. Ultimately, the goal of LSCI therapy is to help the student (or adult) recognize the patterns of self-defeating behavior that prevent them from reaching their goals or making progress in their social and academic environments.

NH CEBIS has now trained and certified 25 people in the state as senior trainers in this comprehensive approach, the first individuals to have this qualification. These 25 senior trainers will in turn help train additional school and agency personnel in LSCI therapy in the spring of 2008.

For more information, please contact Julie Prescott at 603-206-6826, or register for either the 1-day LSCI overview or the 5-day LSCI training series.

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Cultural Awareness

Cultural Effectiveness in Service Provision (Acrobat File · 100.9 KB)