Gull Lake Community Schools
Based on their desire to create a new pilot initiative aimed at educating middle and high school personnel on issues related to depression and suicide prevention, Gull Lake, Michigan residents Peter and Susan Ordway generously donated the initial funds to bring the U-M Depression Center to their community, to partner with the Gull Lake Community Schools on an innovative depression education and awareness program to help identify children and teens at risk, and reach out to them. This unique partnership between the Depression Center and a school district was the first of its kind, and serves as a model for other such partnerships which currently exist, or may exist in the future.
During the 2006-2007 school year, U-M Depression Center and Department of Psychiatry Child and Adolescent specialists Cheryl King, Ph.D. and Anne Kramer, LMSW worked with Superintendent Rich Ramsey and members of the school district administration and faculty to develop the plan for implementing this model program in the schools and community. A community advisory committee was established to provide local input and guidance for the initiative. The committee includes parents and representatives from the schools and local service agencies for youth and families.
Administrators, counselors and other key school personnel participated in a training program to learn to identify depression and suicide risk during the 2006-2007 test period, and all Gull Lake teachers received the same training over the summer.
A variety of additional programs were implemented during the 2007-2008 school year, including:
- Training for all K-12 teachers
- School-based classroom education for high school seniors, and peer-training for 7th and 9th graders
- Training in assessment and intervention for school-based mental health professionals
- Expert help-line for school personnel, staffed by U-M Depression Center mental health professionals during school hours
- A community education and awareness event, attended by 160 people, providing information about depression and suicide and the resources available in the community.
- Active involvement of a Community Advisory Committee comprised of parents, mental health providers and community leaders to help guide current and future programs
Plans for the coming school year include additional classroom education; trainings for bus drivers and paraprofessionals (school secretaries and classroom aides), and two community forums on topics related to depression, bipolar disorder, and related issues.
The Gull Lake Community Schools and Peter and Susan Ordway are an inspiring example of people making a positive change in the community—and helping the Depression Center achieve its mission to find depression early in life when treatments are most effective.
For more information on this project, please contact Anne Kramer, LMSW, Project Director, at (734) 764-7179 or ack@umich.edu
