Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State wants to take a moment this month to recognize and highlight the amazing Behavioral Support Specialists (BSS) we have working across our state.
Thanks to our Mental Health Promotion grant program, each of our 14 traditional club organizations have been able to hire at least one full-time specialist that is able to dedicate 100% of their time toward promoting mental and behavioral health programs, resources and training within their Clubs and Club communities. However, in addition to creating, building and promoting programs, our BSS are also committed to their own professional growth.
All lead BSS meet once a month to share best practices, ideas and problem solve together. This past year, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) launched a Mental Health Professionals Association which many of our BSS are now members of, such as our BSS from Benton and Franklin Counties and Whatcom County, allowing them to collaborate with others across the nation and participate in additional training and continuing education credits hosted by NYU. Recent training sessions were “Ethics & Boundaries for Behavioral Health Professionals” and “Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety.” Whatcom’s BSS just recently chaired the association’s meeting and led a learning session with the group on how to utilize BGCA’s intranet page.
BSS from our South Puget Sound organization became certified to train teens in Mental Health First Aid and are leading a community effort to provide this training to teens during the school day. They have been able to train over 3,300 teens to date in Pierce County! Several of our BSS, like the one in Lewis County, maintain a formal partnership with an outside certified mental health professional whom they meet with regularly for coaching and professional development feedback. Others are working toward additional degrees and certifications, like those in King County and Bellevue who will complete their master’s degrees this year!
Many of our BSS such as those in Clarkston, Skagit and Thurston Counties just recently completed a learning session with BGCA content experts regarding their National Trainers Initiative (NTI). NTI certification allows them to conduct their own training and collaborate with other local organizations to host learning events and is a first step toward completing BGCA’s Trauma Informed Care Specialist certification. Trauma-Informed Specialists act as subject matter experts, providing consultation, training, and support to their Club, and Clubs across the nation.
All of this is just a snapshot of the work our incredible BSS are doing every day to create a positive impact on the youth, teens, families, and communities our Clubs serve.
Please view our Year 2 Mental Health Promotion Pilot Report here for further information.