Washtenaw ISD’s Bridge Team offers mental health support for students

This article is part of a series about mental health in Washtenaw County. It is made possible with funding from Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage.

Since 2023, a dedicated clinical team has been available to assist Washtenaw County students experiencing mental health challenges. The Washtenaw Intermediate School District‘s (WISD) Bridge Team is a collaborative effort among clinicians, families, and students to address youth mental health challenges and other related situations, such as absenteeism. 

The Bridge Team is one of several WISD mental health initiatives funded by a three-year, $2.3 million grant from Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage. The team includes 16 WISD staffers, including nine clinicians, and two interns. Team members work with the nine school districts in Washtenaw County, plus charter and private schools, serving more than 44,000 general education students. 

“We’re meant to be a bridge,” says Jessica Fonville, clinical social worker with the Bridge Team. “We’re not a long-term or permanent therapist; we make connections to long-term support.”

The Bridge Team was developed to focus on the unique challenges facing students, including exposure to trauma, and to fill the gaps left by reduced funding for school-based social workers. The need is great and growing. Fonville says the team has tripled in size since she started two years ago.

“A big piece of what inspired the creation of the team was noticing that kids go through a lot of stuff,” she says. “Bigger mental health issues are being seen younger and younger, and schools are where these things are noticed. Districts have had to cut social worker positions, so most schools don’t have someone in the building.”

Fonville works with elementary school students. Generally, her focus tends to be on social-emotional and school-related regulation tactics. She helps students learn how to communicate their feelings and emotions to their teachers, advocate for themselves, and ask for a break if things get overwhelming. Older students are linked with support based on their specific needs, too. The team has a multi-pronged approach, with clinical interventions centered on each student’s unique needs.

School staff refer students to the team. Support is coordinated by team members depending on each student’s need. Services range from individual and group counseling to crisis mental health consultation. If students need more care, the Bridge Team’s High Fidelity Wraparound program brings together existing support systems and more resources from the community.

“My role is facilitating and coordinating our efforts while centering the voices of family and advocating for youth,” says Chelsea Parker, wraparound specialist with the Bridge Team. “Wraparound services are designed to put family and youth at the center — their voice, culture, and priorities. We make sure we center youth. We want to see people thrive.”

In the wraparound program, team members meet with youth and their families once per month to learn about them and understand their needs.

“What needs aren’t being met? What is challenging them at school and at home? How can this youth be able to grow and heal from things they aren’t talking about? We want to get the youth’s perspective and for them to use their voice. They know what they need,” Parker says.

Parker says this process is unique because the wraparound program brings together all available community resources to work together and build upon youth and family strengths. 

“This approach helps youth thrive academically, socially, and emotionally and empowers families. It also reduces gaps in services, prevents crises, and promotes long-term success,” Parker says.

Parker has seen the wraparound program’s positive impact on families in the form of improved stability, academic performance, social skills, and emotional wellbeing. At the same time, Fonville has seen continued need for services at all ages.

“Each school year we see the need change and grow, so the Bridge Team has had to change and grow with it. The need is going to keep growing, so our impact will as well,” Fonville says. “Our kids are going through a lot, whether they choose to share or not. When problematic behaviors pop up, don’t be afraid to dig deeper for that young person.”