Returning Back to School After a Mental Health Crisis
Bridge Program-Walsh Middle School
Bridge Program-Walsh Middle School
About Bridge Program
The Bridge program is a tier 3 re-entry program working with students to help them transition back from a hospital and/or treatment center due to mental health, emotional, or medical reasons. Bridge may also support students that have not been hospitalized but are regularly missing school and class time due to school anxiety. We use a strengths based model and work hard to build trust and communication with students. We help students and their families manage the reentry and reintegration to school by supporting their academic, social and emotional needs.
Bridge students returning from a partial program or hospitalization, this program is short-term and students typically participate for 5- 12 weeks.
Bridge students working on addressing their school avoidance behaviors due to school anxiety can typically be in our program for a longer period, 3-5 months give or take the student's circumstances.
A typical day or block in Bridge may include:
A check in and/or activity at the start of a block
Checking in with Bridge staff
Making a plan to catch up with make up work
Doing schoolwork
Seeing teachers for 1:1 meetings with Bridge staff
Meeting and talking with other students
Doing exposure work such as walking around the halls; entering classrooms or café while they are empty; attending classes for short period of time; etc.
Working on healthy coping strategies and challenging unhealthy behaviors or thought patterns.
Bridge staff can provide a variety of services, including:
Clinical support to teens and their families
Academic assistance and tutoring in a supportive, in-school environment
Collaboration with teachers to ensure that the student can maintain coursework to the extent possible
Communication between the student and school personnel, therapists, and other service providers
Contact us for Information:
Bridge Clinical Coordinator: Renee Conlin, LICSW
Phone: 508-782-7385
Email: rconlin@framingham.k12.ma.us
Academic Coordinator: Kristen Dykeman
Phone: 508-782-7354
Email: kdykeman@framingham.k12.ma.us
To learn more please go to the Bridge Program Website