School Based Support Services

Start with Hello relationship enhancing activity.

Having a trusting relationship with a caring adult in the school setting can increase positive school outcomes including improved student mental health, increased attendance and improved grades/credits. From learning difficulties to a family crisis to depression – there are many different reasons why students struggle in school. When these struggles become overwhelming, a student’s health and safety become a concern, as does the likelihood of successfully finishing school. Fortunately, in Butler County, hundreds of high school students are moving closer to graduation and a more promising future every day.

School Based Support Workers reduce and/or remove the barriers to academic achievement and increase students’ success and overall mental health. Support Workers are employees of LifeSpan who work on-site every day in local high school buildings to provide support to students, families and school staff. This service can be individually structured based on identified needs of the students, families, and school.

School Based Support Services are uniquely positioned to provide:

Academic Assistance: helping students set and achieve goals to keep them on track for graduation.
Prevention Services: engaging students to build skills allowing for personal and academic success using Sandy Hook Promise and Signs of Suicide.
Intervention Services: individual one-on-one student support including collaboration with parents and school staff as appropriate.
Mental Health Groups: peer support groups on topics such as anger management, conflict resolution, life skills.
Information and Referral: making referrals to community agencies that provide food, housing, medical or dental care, and more.
Crisis Intervention: support during times of crisis.

LifeSpan is the only agency in Southwest Ohio providing this level of service to students, parents, and schools.

100% of students identified as high risk showed a decrease in risk taking behaviors with seven sessions of engaging with their SBSW

Q&A

How is a School Based Support Worker different from a school based therapist?

LifeSpan School Based Support Workers, while they have the same training and credentials, are not mental or behavioral health therapists. Support Workers can see any student as little or as often as needed since pre-authorization and billing of insurance is not required. They can also see any student immediately upon crisis and collaborate with any school staff member (administrators, teachers, etc.) to support the needs of students.

How is a School Based Support Worker different from a school counselor?

School counselors generally focus on curriculum, academics and future educational planning. School Based Support Workers are more involved in things that may be going on at home (social and family problems) that are interfering with a student’s ability to be successful at school. They provide information and support and help students, parents and school staff work together to solve problems by communicating and providing referrals to other resources.

What schools are the School Based Support Workers in?

Our School Based Support Workers are on campus every day during school hours at the following schools:

Director of Lifespan

Joyce Kachelries

Joyce started her career as a hospital nurse in 1980. In 1991, she left the hospital world and moved to social services and has been with LifeSpan, Inc., a private nonprofit social service agency, ever since. She is LifeSpan’s Director and is responsible for overall strategy, oversight, budget and operations of LifeSpan. LifeSpan’s multiple programs include Elderly Care Management, Information and Referral, Guardianship, Representative Payee, and School Based Services. In addition, she is responsible for the agency’s accreditation and leads quality improvement initiatives across the agency.