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La Crosse extended the on-site hours of homebound teacher Terri Rudolph and worked with Franciscan Skemp to add access to an online learning program during the 2007-08 school year for kids enrolled in two Franciscan Skemp Healthcare Behavioral Health programs.
It helped 11 students last year make a “more seamless” transition from treatment to school, said Mary Lin Wershofen, who supervises the district’s homebound student program. Wershofen anticipated 20 kids will be enrolled this school year.
“Part of what supports this method of treatment is that kids come to learn they can be successful academically,” Wershofen said. “Many kids get here and they don’t have that belief.”
But by keeping students in treatment and allowing them to stay away from the “environment that wasn’t working in the first place,” they are able to thrive, she said. “It makes the treatment more meaningful, too.”
The educational component connects with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Day Treatment Program that serves those with emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as Pathways, an AODA group for adolescents with substance abuse issues.
Middle and high school students are referred to the program by school counselors, medical doctors, psychologists and their families. Summer sessions are available as well.
They work through therapy and then return to school or stay to do on-site class work.
Rudolph is contracted as a La Crosse School District teacher, but Wershofen said the collaborative partners are trying to make the educational component more accessible to other school districts.
Wershofen said La Crosse schools were quick to work with Franciscan Skemp because some students were missing core classes and falling behind in studies.
“It called into question how do we best serve our kids,” she said. “This made so much sense.”
Treatment plans are tailored to individuals, and attendance is determined by a case manager, said Julie Conway, who supervises the Franciscan Skemp program. Some kids come five days a week, while others come for just an hour or two on one day.
While in treatment, they attend group, individual, family and recreational therapy sessions, said Jerry Sample, AODA counselor.
“There are days they really struggle here as well, but a lot of times ... there is some underlying behavior that is causing the issue,” Conway said. “Rather than looking at the behavior, we try to get underneath and try to give them the support they need to really succeed.”
