Jamie Meyers, LPC, Elementary Care Coordinator, Parkway School District.
Project CONTACT’s featured partner this month is Jamie Meyers, LPC, an elementary care coordinator at Ross and Craig schools within the Parkway School District. Jamie, who reports that she “loves the vibrancy and community of the school environment,” is a dynamic, enthusiastic advocate for children. She has a unique and interesting school-based role which allows her to make a big difference in the lives of Parkway students.
Jamie explains that Parkway, like many districts around the country, uses the Multi-Tiered System of Supports to identify and meet the needs of students. This tiered framework looks like a pyramid, with the bottom (first) tier comprised of universal supports that benefit every student. The middle (second) tier encompasses individual interventions for students who need some additional support. The top (third) tier consists of more intensive services for the students (generally 0–5% of the student body) in need of the most support.
Jamie’s position enables her to focus her time and resources on students in this top tier; this means that she has the opportunity to work with students on a more intensive level (and more frequently) than the school counselors, who serve students on all three tiers. Importantly, care coordinators (who next year will be called mental health specialists) do not replace school counselors. They are additional school team members who serve students with the most needs. During the ‘24-‘25 school year, Parkway plans to increase the number of these positions so that every school has its own mental health specialist. (Interested in applying for one of these positions? Keep your eye on Parkway job postings here.)
Jamie’s days are filled with many diverse opportunities to support students, parents, and school staff. For example, she regularly provides psychoeducation to teachers and parents about trauma and brain architecture. She implements crisis intervention services and therapeutic work with students. Jamie also serves as an important conduit between the school and outside providers, such as students’ therapists and psychiatrists, ensuring continuity of care and more comprehensive safety and intervention plans. Jamie explains, “Students do better when they know they have a unified team, and when everyone is using the same language and similar interventions across the board.”
As a big proponent of community partnerships and collaboration, Jamie is excited about Project CONTACT. She has already referred one student and is eager to help additional students access the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention for free through CONTACT. The project’s Primary Investigator, Joel Epstein, met with Jamie’s colleagues earlier this year to provide information about the intervention, eligibility requirements, and referral process. She reports that she would love for him to come back and meet with additional groups of school stakeholders to increase awareness about the project. “More students than ever are needing mental health support,” Jamie says.