Welcome to the simulation titled Referral Process: District of Columbia. This is a transcript of the simulation designed for screenreaders.
In this simulation, you will learn about behavioral health resources in the District of Columbia and steps for referring students to these resources.
As a teacher or school staff member, you’re in one of the best positions to notice when a student shows signs of distress and may need help.
PIC 1: Four emotional faces surrounding an icon of a person. The faces look angry, disgruntled, worried, and sad.
When you do become worried about a student, what should you do? What’s your school’s process for referral?
PIC 2: A question mark appears above the icon of a person.
In this training, you’ll learn about behavioral health resources in the District of Columbia and steps for referring students to these resources.
PIC 3: The Behavioral Health Resources District of Columbia logo appears, showing a gold person icon on a blue background.
According to the CDC, 13 to 20% of children living in the U.S. experience a mental disorder in a given year; that’s as many as one out of five students, with issues like anxiety, depression, disruptive disorders, and substance use disorders that can impair their ability to function at home, at school, in the community, or with peers.
PIC 4: A map of the United States appears, with approximately 20% filled in blue when the first statistic is mentioned. This color then switches to red when the second statistic is mentioned.
Without intervention, many of these children may face academic failure, involvement with juvenile justice, or self harm.
In fact, in the DC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 16% of high school youth in DC reported attempted suicide in the previous year.
PIC 5: A map of the District of Columbia appears, with about 16% of the top filled in blue when the statistic is mentioned.
The earlier a student is referred to behavioral health resources, the better the odds are of delaying or even preventing a serious mental or behavioral health issue.
PIC 6: The Behavioral Health Resources District of Columbia logo reappears, along with an icon showing a person sitting and looking down in distress.
No matter what grade level you work with, you play a vital role: getting your students the services they need as early as possible