This grant will fund one full-time clinician at Franklin Elementary School, providing mental health services to students, families, and educators.
CALM is the sole provider of mental health services for all preschools and nine elementary schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD). Since the outbreak of the pandemic and its associated economic crisis, CALM has seen a 60% increase in demand for mental health counseling.
In addition to counseling students and families who have experienced trauma, CALM provides support to educators who are also experiencing increased levels of stress and anxiety. In times of stress, clinicians see a rise in the intensity of trauma-based incidents like child abuse and domestic violence.
Maintaining adequate staff to provide early intervention and mental health support to children, and the adults who care for them, will increase resiliency and decrease the need for costly long-term mental health care. The goal is to create a resilient school community by helping teachers recognize and respond constructively to the social and emotional needs of children.