Discussion: Vivian Carter Highlights Digital Mental Health Resources for Rural Education Institutions
In a bid to address the unique mental health challenges faced by students in rural areas, digital health technology is being harnessed to provide personalized resources. One such initiative is the Ripple Effects program, which has been successfully implemented in Hazard Independent Schools in Eastern Kentucky.
Vivian Carter, the innovation coordinator at Hazard Independent Schools, spearheaded the adoption of the Ripple Effects online tool. The school administration provided the necessary buy-in, recognising the potential of the technology to supplement the resources available to students.
The Ripple Effects tool is a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) technology-based software system, used by teachers to deliver behavior interventions and by students to access emotional resources. In Hazard Independent Schools, students are using the tool during the advisor-advisee class, but they also have individual logins to navigate and search for different topics on their own.
The software company behind Ripple Effects made a concerted effort to make the tool more personal and realistic for rural students. Some of the school's students were hired to do voice-overs and take photos of their peers, ensuring the content resonates with the student population.
The Ripple Effects tool covers over 400 issues, including stealing, bullying, and emotional distress. To facilitate its use, the guidance counselor selected over 400 scenarios from the tool for use, and teachers at each grade level chose which issues they would address each day. The tool was trained to the staff by Lisa Garza, the project coordinator for Ripple Effects, in a computer lab at the school.
The implementation of the Ripple Effects tool into the advisor-advisee class has helped students become familiar with the website and learn how to navigate it. Many of the topics were geared toward classroom discussion, such as organization, goal-setting, and establishing a routine.
The benefits of the Ripple Effects program can be seen in conversations with students, teachers, and guidance counselors. The adoption and deployment of the digital technology in middle school classrooms have produced measurable results in reducing the number of mental health and behavioral referrals.
The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative received a Project Prevent grant from the Education Department to deploy and use the Ripple Effects online tool. As of now, the tool is being used in 70 of the 140 schools within the cooperative.
While the Ripple Effects tool allows for complete anonymity, the school has no idea who has been using it, but they do know how much of the student population is utilizing it.
Successful online mental and behavioral health tools for students in rural areas often combine technology with community-driven approaches to enhance access and support. Similar digital platforms and tools, like Ripple Effects, focus on providing interactive learning experiences and support for social-emotional learning (SEL) in school settings. These tools often include interactive modules, personalized feedback systems, and teacher support tools.
By leveraging technology and community engagement, initiatives like Ripple Effects are bridging the gap in rural mental health services, providing accessible, engaging, and effective support for students.
- Recognizing the potential of technology to support students' emotional well-being, the school administration in Hazard Independent Schools endorsed the adoption of the Ripple Effects online tool for Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
- To make the Ripple Effects tool more relatable for rural students, the software company incorporated voices and images of students from the school in the content.
- As part of the Ripple Effects program, students in Hazard Independent Schools are learning to navigate the online tool and discuss topics like organization and goal-setting during advisor-advisee classes, aiming to improve their mental health and behavior through technology-based resources and interactive learning experiences.
