Oregon teachers Angela Turner and Benjamin White, both Portland State alumni, are co-authors in a pioneering field of research with Sara Midura, Scott Menner, and Jill Fodstad, from Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. Their recently published article is titled, “Supportive Transition Planning for Adolescents Transitioning from Psychiatric Hospitals to School: A Systematic Literature Review and Framework of Practices.” It appears in the January 2023 edition of Continuity in Education, a peer-reviewed journal for the education of children and young people with medical and mental health needs.
“These kids can be really successful, make great artists and friends, although they may be stigmatized as ‘bad kids’,” says White. “If you know about trauma-informed care, for a transition back to school to be successful there needs to be collaboration. We are seeing a shift in practice toward a willingness to work on what’s best: a support plan,” says White, “and bringing the patient-student’s genuine voice to the table in a collaborative approach is critical.”
Both Turner and White earned master’s degrees from the College of Education at PSU, where they first met, and both now work at hospitals providing inpatient care for children with psychiatric needs. Turner is at Providence Willamette Falls, which accepts children from ages five to 17, and White is at Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland, which serves children ages 10 to 17. These are the only two acute-level inpatient hospital units for children with mental health issues in Oregon.
Turner had prior experience working in a social emotional classroom as an educational assistant and teacher when White reached out to her about Unity, previously at Randall Children’s Hospital. Although they now work in separate hospitals, both facilities provide two licensed special education teachers, an educational assistant and a school transition specialist on site.
“When we started researching the paper in 2018, the state didn’t formally recognize the need for this type of work. Things have improved! We now have two fully staffed programs and funding comes from the Oregon Department of Education through Multnomah Education Service District. Our units are full all the time and there is a waiting list before the pandemic and now,” says White. “In the community, in mental health in general – there is no end in sight.”
Both agree if there were a third hospital, it too would be full. Children suffering with depression, anxiety, PTSD, psychosis, self-harm and suicide attempts stay an average of 10 to 14 days. When they get discharged from the hospital, sometimes in as little as three days, supports need to be in place.
“With a suicide attempt, a student can disappear from school and then reappear with no explanation. Before our teams were in place, there was no liaison, and there were often punitive or fear-based measures put in place. Now we have a huge shift in engagement. But, with a bunch of adults at the table for re-entry, none have a chance of success if the kid is not organically reflected,” says White. “It is much more compassionate to include the student.”
“Our new standard brings together school counselor, school social worker, school nurse, and school psychologist. There is a high comorbidity of mental health diagnoses and other psychosocial factors,” says Turner, noting the need for each child to have a meaningful support plan, oftentimes a 504 Plan. She and White agree on the need to raise awareness of their field in teacher training programs at local universities, and would also like to see collaborative case management funding recognized and expanded within public education.
Watch the video: “Hospital School Program,” (10K Hours Media).
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By Sherron Lumley
College of Education 