Education and Screening
LHS has partnered with New Horizons Youth and Family Center to help us educate students are depression. As part of students health class a licensed employee of New Horizons will present on Depression. Students are educated on the warning signs, stressors that cause depression, and where to get resources. Students and parents can choose to have a one-on-one depression screening called TeenScreen done with the New Horizon employee.
How Does TeenScreen Work?
A staff member from New Horizons, will be in charge of the program. It will take place during school hours in a private setting at the school. Your teen will not be screened without your permission. All screening results will be kept confidential, stored separately from academic records, and not shared with your teen’s teachers. There are three steps to the screening procedure:
Step One: Teens complete a 10-minute questionnaire about vision, hearing and dental problems, symptoms of depression and anxiety, suicidal thinking and behavior, and use of drugs and alcohol.
Step Two: Teens whose answers reveal a potential problem and teens who ask for help then meet with a trained mental health professional in private to determine if further evaluation would be helpful. Teens whose answers show they probably do not need help meet briefly with other program staff to answer any questions they may have about the program and to give them the opportunity to ask for help with any other concerns the screening did not cover.
Step Three: You will be contacted by program staff only if your teen meets with a mental health professional and the professional recommends further evaluation for your teen. If this is the case, program staff will share the overall results with you and discuss ways you can get help for your teen. You will not be contacted if your teen is not found to need additional mental health services. If a vision, hearing or dental need is identified during the screening process, program staff will contact you.
Lancaster High school provides this screening at no cost, but does not provide further evaluation or treatment services. It is up to you to decide if you want to obtain any additional services for your teen.
Links and Forms:
TeenScreen Parent Consent Form
TeenScreen Website
New Horizons Website