Wednesday, February 17, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
YOUTH: Counselors can
help students connect
with resources
Continued from page 1
of depression and isolation.
Others have battled a lack of
motivation and inability to
focus and thrive.
Sisters High School
Counselor Lindy Gilbert says
that the loss of normal struc-
ture and routines demanded
a lot of flexibility from stu-
dents, as well as coping with
ambiguity, which at the least
can be exhausting, and, for
some, overwhelming.
<Structure tends to help
people feel safer and more
confident,= she said.
Sisters Elementary School
Counselor Kate Kuitert
agrees.
<I think schools are the hub
and the heart of the commu-
nity and for our families,= she
said. <Beyond the education
that happens within these
walls, it is a place of stability,
routine, connection, and rela-
tionships for our students and
families.=
According to Gilbert, now
that middle and high school
students are back in the build-
ing at least part-time, they
have a bit more ready access
to the school counselors who
often serve as the first line
of resource for students and
families dealing with social
and emotional challenges.
Counselors have reached
out to students in many ways
over the past year, but also
encourage students and fami-
lies to never hesitate to ask for
help.
<It9s still not like normal to
where students can just drop
in, but we are able to connect
with kids much more easily
now we are back in the build-
ing,= said Gilbert. <We want
students and families to know
that they can email or call in to
make appointments any time
during regular school hours.=
As part of the connection
process, Gilbert and other staff
members organized <cafes=
for freshmen and sophomores
as students returned to in-
person learning. Each student
met with an adult for 10 to
15 minutes as a <check-in=
that included talking about
social/emotional wellness.
<We felt it was important
to see kids eye-to-eye and
get a read on how they were
doing,= she said. <The kids
have proven to be very resil-
ient through the pandemic
and a number have indicated
the need for a little extra sup-
port as well.=
Yet, the schools can9t
provide everything students
need and school counselors
can only do so much, which
is why they often serve as
resource brokers for families
that are looking for other pro-
fessional help available to the
public. Additionally, mental-
health crises can spring up at
Resources for health and well-being
General health
" Sisters School-Based
Health Clinic (next door to
Sisters High School): 541-
526-6623. Serves newborn
through age 20.
Crisis and call lines
" Deschutes County
24-hour Crisis Line: 541-
322-7500 ext. #9.
" Deschutes County
Stabilization Center: 541-
585-7210. Located at 63311
Jamison St., Bend. For cur-
rent hours of operation, visit
www.deschutes.org/health/
page/crisis-services.
" MCAT (Mobile Crisis
Assessment Team) can be
activated for someone in the
midst of a mental health cri-
sis. Call the Crisis Line at
541-322-7500 ext. #9 or 911.
" National Suicide
Prevention LifeLine: 1-800-
273-TALK (8255), or text
<273Talk= to 839863.
Veterans press #1, for Spanish
language calls 1-888-628-
9454 or text <MIL1= 839863.
" Oregon YouthLine: 877-
968-8491 or text <teen2teen=
to 83983.
" Trans LifeLine:
1-877-565-8860.
" The Trevor Project
(LGBTQ Youth): 1-866-488-
1386 or text <START= to
678678.
Counseling resources
(public, nonprofit)
" Deschutes County
Behavioral
Health:
541-322-7500.
" St. Charles Behavioral
Health
Services:
541-706-2768.
" Lutheran Community
Services Northwest 4 Bend:
541-323-5332.
" OSU3Cascades Free
Counseling Clinic in Bend:
call 541-322-2047 or email
cascades.counseling@osu-
cascades.edu.
" Mosaic Medical
Behavioral Health Hotline :
541-408-9562.
Substance Abuse
" Best Care Treatment
Services: 541-504-9577
(substance abuse support).
Private practitioners
" Central Oregon Mental
Health Providers Directory:
www.preventsuicideco.org/
provider-directory.
Note: There are a vari-
ety of practitioners based in
Sisters.
Bereavement/Suicide
Support
" Bend Area Suicide
Bereavement Group: meets
the second Monday of the
month, 7-8:30 p.m. Email
Alison Sorenson, alison@
alisonsorensoncounseling.
com.
" The Compassionate
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Friends: meets the first
Tuesday of the month at
7 p.m. (except December).
Contact Carol Palmer at
carolpalmerrn@icloud.com
or 541-480-0667.
" Individual Grief
Support: Partners in Care
offers short-term individual
support counseling sessions
to those who have expe-
rienced a death of a loved
one. Call Partners in Care at:
541-382-5882.
" American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention,
Health Conversations
Program: https://afsp.org/
healing-conversations.
" Dougy Center (based in
Portland), help@dougy.org
and 503-775-5683.
any time, day or night, which
requires specialized resources
and ease of access.
Gilbert, Kuitert, and
Sisters Middle School
Counselor Brook Jackson
have compiled a list of
resources to help children
and families find support for
not only coping, but grow-
ing, during these trying times.
The list is not 100 percent
comprehensive, but contains
many of the most important
resources in the area, accord-
ing to Jackson.
<This is my 8go-to9 list,=
he said. (See <Resources
for health and well-being=
below.)
The resource list includes
everything from general men-
tal-health support, to care for
grief, substance abuse, sui-
cide prevention, and other
crisis situations.
Two recent additions to
15
the crisis services available
in Central Oregon include
the Stabilization Center in
Bend, which is an alterna-
tive to the practice of going
directly to the emergency
room or having only a police
response.
The second is the Mobile
Crisis Assessment Team
(MCAT), which can come to
a location where a person is
having a mental-health crisis.
<While most students
may not be in crisis, there
are many who would ben-
efit from counseling sup-
port,= said Gilbert. <We are
blessed to have a variety of
private practitioners right in
Sisters, as well as in Bend and
Redmond.
<The school counselors in
Sisters are highly motivated to
assist students and families to
find the care they need,= she
said. <We are here to help.=