Reimagining Mental Health in Schools (Series Begins Jan. 6, 2027)

For this webinar series, participants will automatically be enrolled in all 5 sessions.

Speaker

Sheilah Gauch, LICSW, M.Ed., Principal and Clinical Director, Dearborn Academy

Description

Schools are faced with supporting students with increasingly complicated, challenging mental health presentations impacting their ability to access learning. In this webinar series, you will learn the importance of shifting thinking and identifying new ways to support. We discuss the importance of  rallying key stakeholders to team with and how we help students find healing, remain in their least restricted setting, and thrive.   

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must attend all 5 sessions, either live or via the recording, and successfully pass a quiz following Session 5. Within 24 hours of the live webinar, registrants will be emailed a link to view the recorded webinar. The recording will be made available for 7 days after each session.

In this session, we will look at the systems of care we currently have, how they interface with one another, and where shifts could happen. We will review the impact to schools; identifying how school professionals can interface with outside systems to access necessary support for students. 

In this session, we will explore why rethinking how we view behavior is essential to shifting out of this mental health crisis. We will explore the evidence behind what works, and what doesn’t. We will learn the basics of the neuroscience of anxiety to understand the possible root cause (and also explore other possible root causes) – beginning to shift our thinking from behavior to “symptoms” and leading with empathy, compassion and understanding for our students. 

Caregivers are key stakeholders and essential for their student’s healing. We will explore the history of how we view caregivers, how critical they are to their students’ care and why empathy and understanding is key to teaming with them. 

In this session, we will explore immune mediated disorders (PANS/PANDAS, Lyme, autoimmune conditions) that reveals a bridge connecting mental health and medical and offers us a different path. We will discuss findings from Dearborn Academy’s research study where we use current research, science and evidence based practice to support students previously believed to be “treatment resistant” in regaining health.

In this session, we will explore how we can reframe transitional planning for students with mental health needs in order for students (and their caregivers!) to prepare for life after high school. We will focus on understanding the unique challenge of supporting students with existing mental health issues and learn how evidence based practice for managing anxiety is a path to help students set attainable goals, including preparing to attend college.

About the Speaker

Sheilah Gauch, LICSW, M.Ed., (she/her) holds a Masters in Educational Organizational Management and is licensed as a Principal, Special Education Administrator and School Adjustment Counselor through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Sheilah has been working with children with significant mental health needs for over 20 years. She is currently the Principal of Dearborn Academy, a Chapter 766 Private Therapeutic Day School. Dearborn Academy serves students with significant social/emotional and learning challenges. She has supported the school in the creation of a robust academic and clinical milieu to support students with the highest level of need.

Sheilah began her career working with children, ages 5-18, in an outpatient treatment setting. She then moved to work as a clinician at a residential treatment program, where she stayed for close to ten years. From there, she moved to join a public school setting as a Special Education social worker. Here she supported students in sub-separate programming and went on to develop and oversee the district’s Tier 3 off-site transitional program.

Sheilah is an active advocate for PANS/PANDAS awareness. She co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for PANS/PANDAS legislation. This group led the grassroots advocacy effort in Massachusetts that supported the passage of S2984, a health care bill that included both the creation of a PANS/PANDAS Advisory Council and a mandate that insurance companies must provide coverage for the disease.

Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must pass the quiz.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.

 

Register

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If you are seeking to receive CEUs and/or PDPs, please click Register Now. Once you complete the webinar series, you will be able to take quizzes for CEUs and/or PDPs. Upon completion of each quiz, you will receive a certificate.

All sessions are 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

  • Session 1: January 6, 2027, Reimagining Systems of Care: Working Together Is How We Create Change
  • Session 2: January 13, 2027, Reimagining Behavior
  • Session 3: January 27, 2027, Reimagining Caregivers
  • Session 4: February 10, 2027, Reimagining the Separation Between Mental Health and Medical Conditions
  • Session 5: February 24, 2027, Reimagining Transition Planning