My Clients
Examples of Collaborative Projects
National Community of Practice: Increasing Access to Mental Health Care
Challenge:
As part of a federally funded initiative to build mental health workforce capacity, state Pediatric Mental Health Care Access programs lacked peer-to-peer learning and customized technical assistance opportunities as they expanded their services into school-based health centers (SBHCs).
Approach:
In collaboration with the National Network of Child Psychiatry Access Programs and American Academy of Pediatrics, I designed and facilitated a Community of Practice (CoP) for five statewide PMHCA programs. Using a continuous quality improvement framework, the CoP supported programs in developing and monitoring short and long-term equity-centered SMARTIE goals drawing on “Lessons from the Field” that were gathered in collaboration with the School-Based Health Alliance the prior year.
Outcomes:
As a result of the Community of Practice:
All programs met at least one goal, including:
Convening a statewide task force.
Identifying new state and regional partners.
Developing content for a SBHC education series and consultation pilot.
Implementing a SBHC outreach strategy included holding “discovery meetings” with sites.
School District Social and Emotional Learning Readiness and Engagement Analysis
Challenge:
A large urban school district lacked needed a cohesive districtwide strategy for social and emotional learning (SEL), with SEL initiatives taking place in isolated pockets across departments, and at varying levels of the district.
Approach:
In collaboration with the Collaborative on Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), I participated in a SEL Readiness and Engagement Analysis and led the writing of a formal report that included recommendations to support the district in developing a roadmap for systemic SEL implementation. The process included:
Review of data, program descriptions, and strategic documents to assess current state of SEL
Two-day site visit including interviews with school board members, department chiefs, local superintendents, and key staff
Learning walks and focus groups with teachers, parents, and students at three schools
Post-visit focus groups with parents
Development of final report including practical recommendations, and resources for systemic SEL implementation
Presentation of findings and key recommendations to district leaders.
Outcome:
Three months following the engagement analysis, the district's school board passed an SEL resolution and incorporated SEL into the Superintendent's strategic plan. This marked a significant step towards systemic SEL integration within the district, setting the foundation for long-term SEL success.
Becoming a Trauma-Informed Organization
Challenge:
In 2021, a federally qualified health center in Chicago, embarked on a process of becoming a trauma-informed organization, recognizing the impact of trauma on patients, staff, and the organization’s workplace, particularly in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Approach:
I supported the organization in a three-year transformational journey that included:
Creating a trauma-informed core implementation team to guide the process.
Conducting an organization-wide assessment and identifying key priorities for improvement.
Facilitating a learning collaborative for managers, directors and Executive Leadership Team on positive workplace culture.
Coaching executive leadership team, medical directors, and site leaders on TIC meeting facilitation.
Conducting a train-the-trainer process to prepare staff to deliver TIC training previously led by a consultant
Collecting, analyzing and sharing data to monitor progress at all levels.
Outcomes:
One year following the consultation, the organization has successfully integrated the following policies and practices:
Training on trauma-informed care is included in new staff orientation.
Teams have community agreements and begin all meetings with a mindfulness or connector activity
All staff, regardless of length of employment or role receive the same amount of Paid Time Off (PTO)
Manager-staff ratio has been reduced to ensure staff receive consistent one-on-one support from their supervisors.
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