We Want to Partner With You and Your School
Ignite’s School Based Services
The Benefit of School Based Mental Health Services
School Based Co-Located Services:
Ignite takes the vision of school-based mental health services and recognizes the significant mental health needs of school-aged children with ASD.
We bring all our expertise, all our resources, and all our values to our partner schools. Our ABA behavioral expertise, our Stronger Brain applied neuroscience interventions, and our trauma-informed, stress-reducing art therapies.
The foundation of our in-school based mental health program for children with ASD is individualization. We provide direct consultation with each student's family and each student's school team. Mental Health Services will be tailored to meet each student's specific skills and behavioral health needs and provide the best fit and least interference with academic and special education programming. We partner with school teams to ensure the best outcomes.
We follow all state guidelines and practices for Co-Located Mental Health services. In our Current COVID-19 environment, School-Based Mental Health Services can be provided in-school and virtually following all School, Community, and State guidelines for safety and security.
At Ignite, we join with state education agencies across the county that recognize that mental wellness is central to ensuring a child's best start. Schools—where children spend most of their waking hours— often recognize that addressing a student's mental health and social-emotional needs leads to better outcomes: students are healthier, happier, and more likely to succeed. Yet, many schools lack the resources to provide effective and essential mental health services. That’s where we can help. Contact us to learn more, or continue reading.
Our integrated therapies are available to all partner agencies, schools, children, and families that we service. Our integrated therapies are often the most essential interventions we can provide. Innovative, creative, and evidence-based, these therapies are truly integrated into our Autism and Mental Health Therapies.
Our Stronger Brain - Applied Neuroscience Brain Training provides children with an evidenced-based computer skill training program. At Ignite, Dr. Paulson will lead our Stronger Brain team to focus on supporting the development of attention, executive control, and social cognition abilities for children and adolescents with ASD. Award-winning Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich developed Stronger Brain as the Chief Scientific Officer of Posit Science and BrainHQ. We are honored to partner with Dr. Merzenich.
Our consulting Art Therapy Program in the Twin Cities applies neurodevelopmental integration tools to foster fun. Engaging kinesthetic experiences will stimulate the formation of imagery and activate learning. Art builds new communication pathways, reducing stress and creating new potential connections. Dr. Paulson is a Supervising Psychologist with Adler Art Therapy Graduate School.
Integrated Therapies: Art Therapy and Applied Neuroscience
Process
What to expect?
Our goal is to support students in your school who have autism and other related mental health challenges. We tailor our therapies in partnership with the child’s family and you, so that we see the greatest impact without distracting from the regular instruction that other students are receiving. Below is a summary of how our partnership can begin.
Step 1: Call Us to Schedule A Partner Evaluation
A Partner Evaluation is simply a conversation between our leadership and yours. We want to learn about your school and your students and families who might benefit from our services. In this conversation, we evaluate whether or not a partnership between us might be beneficial.
Step 2: Strategic Planning
If we determine that a partnership is beneficial, then we begin crafting a strategic plan. This plan defines the specifics of how we will work together, and who will receive our services. Creating this plan is a collaborative effort, but we carry a vast majority of the work. At every step, we’ll look for ways to make our partnership easy and enjoyable for you.
Step 3: Implementing Services
Once our shared plan is created, we can begin implementing our services. Individuals from our team will integrate into your school rhythm, providing integrated therapies that are tailored for your student, in your environment.
Step 4: Evaluate and Improve
Throughout our partnership, we will discern what is working well and what can improve. Small iterations will take place throughout the process, and then larger re-strategizing will happen quarterly and annually.
“People don’t change their behavior when other people yell at them, shame them, or send them away to be alone. People change their behavior when they feel heard, understood, and loved. Growth and change require connection and compassion.”
– Katie Hurley
FAQs
Is Ignite right for my school?
The best way to find out is to have a real-time conversation. Our founder Andy Paulson and our Autism Director Becca Prinsen are happy to speak with you directly at no cost to learn about your school, your students, and your families. Together we can determine if a partnership between Ignite and your school is a good fit. Please call us at 920-393-8320, and we will schedule a call.
Does insurance cover our services?
Ignite is credentialed by all major insurance providers in Minnesota and Wisconsin; we accept Forward Health in Wisconsin and Minnesota Health Care Programs. We have also been successful in partnering with schools to apply for grants from private and public foundations and agencies.
Where and when are your services provided?
That is a decision we will make together. Really! We are not driven by a specific time, location or center. Our goal is to partner with schools and we will make intervention decisions based on what will work best for your student. We are licensed educators and appreciate the challenges of scheduling and the importance of individualized educational plans. We are currently providing services primarily in schools, but we are also fully equipped to offer virtual services.
Are your School-Based Mental Health Therapy Services approved?
Yes, we are educators, teachers, and mental health providers. We get the mental health challenges that our children can have in school. We come alongside school teams to provide linked, embedded, and co-located services. We align and individualize our services to enhance school curriculums and individualized educational plans. We follow all Minnesota and Wisconsin State Educational Department Policies and Procedures.