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Home > Mental Health Resources

Mental Health Resources

photo group of students standing together shoulder to shoulder with a white FH logo in the top right corner and the words Mental Health Resources

Your school community cares about you and your family. Please let us know how we can help.

Where to Turn if You Need Help

School Counselors and Social Workers

FHPS has school counselors and social workers here to continue to support our students and families. Please email your child’s school staff listed below for additional assistance.

First Name Last Name Email Website Position Building Department
Jennifer Fisher jfisher@fhps.net Counselor Ada Elementary
Kyle Perkins kperkins@fhps.net Counselor Northern High School
Sarah Van't Hof svanthof@fhps.net FHC Counseling Office Website Counselor Central High School
Teresa Miller tmiller@fhps.net Counselor Northern Hills Middle School
Matt Langlois mlanglois@fhps.net Social Worker Northern High School Student Services
Sharon Rusche srusche@fhps.net Social Worker Ada Vista Elementary Student Services
Sharon Rusche srusche@fhps.net Social Worker Orchard View Elementary Student Services
Sarah Boer sboer@fhps.net Social Worker Central Middle School Student Services
Sarah Boer sboer@fhps.net Social Worker Central Woodlands 5/6 School Student Services
Mary Harvey mharvey@fhps.net Counselor Northern Hills Middle School
Lisa McCambridge lmccambridge@fhps.net FHE Guidance & Counseling Counselor Eastern High School
Amy Pavelka apavelka@fhps.net Counselor Eastern Middle School
Amy Pavelka apavelka@fhps.net Counselor Goodwillie Environmental School
Cindi Reynolds creynolds@fhps.net Counselor Knapp Forest Elementary
Sue Trout strout@fhps.net Counselor Northern High School
Mitchell Blink mblink@fhps.net FHE Guidance & Counseling Counselor Eastern High School
Amy Hallead ahallead@fhps.net Counselor Northern Trails 5/6 School
Kelly VanSkiver kvanskiver@fhps.net Counselor Orchard View Elementary
Stephanie Thornton sthornton@fhps.net Social Worker Eastern High School Student Services
Keri VanDrunen kvandrunen@fhps.net Social Worker Pine Ridge Elementary Student Services
Leslie Van Houten levanhouten@fhps.net Counselor Thornapple Elementary
Nicole McCarthy nmccarthy@fhps.net Counselor Ada Vista Elementary
Nicole McCarthy nmccarthy@fhps.net Counselor Collins Elementary
Valorie Bailey vbailey@fhps.net Social Worker Knapp Forest Elementary Student Services
Valorie Bailey vbailey@fhps.net Social Worker Meadow Brook Elementary Student Services
Jodi Arsulowicz jarsulowicz@fhps.net Counselor Central High School
Mollie VanOrsdol mvanorsdol@fhps.net FHE Guidance & Counseling Counselor Eastern High School
Nicole Deckrow ndeckrow@fhps.net Counselor Eastern High School
Justin Knoth jknoth@fhps.net Counselor Northern High School
Kelsey Telzerow ktelzerow@fhps.net Counselor Meadow Brook Elementary
Rosie Finelli rfinelli@fhps.net Counselor Central Middle School
Aubree Hartrick ahartrick@fhps.net Counselor Central Middle School
Abby Cieslak acieslak@fhps.net Counselor Pine Ridge Elementary
Abby Cieslak acieslak@fhps.net Counselor Northern Trails 5/6 School
Deanna Coyne dcoyne@fhps.net Counselor Northern High School
Lisa Gernand lgernand@fhps.net Social Worker Central High School
Laurissa Stawicki lstawicki@fhps.net Social Worker Thornapple Elementary
Laurissa Stawicki lstawicki@fhps.net Social Worker Northern Trails 5/6 School
Victoria Velding vvelding@fhps.net Counselor Central High School
Caleigh Gainey cgainey@fhps.net Social Worker Ada Elementary
Caleigh Gainey cgainey@fhps.net Social Worker Collins Elementary
Phylica Rosema prosema@fhps.net Social Worker Eastern Middle School
Phylica Rosema prosema@fhps.net Social Worker Goodwillie Environmental School
Kelly Teahan kteahan@fhps.net Social Worker Northern Hills Middle School
Kelly Teahan kteahan@fhps.net Social Worker Transition Center

Mental Health Liaisons

In addition to FHPS school counselors and social workers, FHPS has three mental health liaisons to assist students and families. They assist the district in mental health initiatives and are able to provide direct assistance to students and families with a variety of services including direct referrals for mental health support, connection to community resources, and assistance in times of crisis.


a young adult with blonde hair; a head/shoulder shot

Mattie DeBoe

Mattie serves the Eastern district attendance areas and Goodwillie 5/6 School. Prior to joining FHPS, Mattie worked as a child and family therapist at both the home-based and outpatient levels of care. She has a passion for working with children who have experienced trauma and helping to meet their social and emotional needs. Mattie believes that if the social and emotional needs of the child are prioritized and adequately met, then they can then be successful learners in the classroom.


Head and shoulder shot of a middle-aged man with a moustache and beard

Jon Haeffele

Jon serves the Northern district attendance area in addition to the Transition Center. Before joining the FHPS team, he worked as a child and family therapist in both home-based and outpatient programs. This experience helps him assist others navigating through school, mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice issues. In his clinical work, he has focused extensively on complex trauma and its effect across generations. This process has included working with youth who were psychiatrically hospitalized, detained for criminal charges, or removed from the home due to severe emotional/behavioral issues. Most recently, he transitioned from providing therapy at one of Pine Rest’s outpatient clinics. He is passionate about utilizing data to improve mental health programs and is excited to join Forest Hills’ dedication to serving the whole child.



Alexandra Yonker

Alex serves the Central district attendance area. Before coming to FHPS, Alex worked at Pine Rest on the child and adolescent inpatient unit with children and their families. She enjoys working with children and being able to work alongside them throughout their formative years. Alex recognizes the challenges that kids face at school and home and understands the importance of supporting them in all aspects of their lives.

 

Awareness, Acceptance and Advocacy of Mental Health Parent Group

The Forest Hills Public School District is committed to helping every child achieve, and we have a team of professionals working hard to address all areas of a child’s mental health and well-being. Many years ago, the district created a team of volunteers known as AAA. This team is dedicated to the Awareness, Acceptance, and Advocacy of Mental Health. They work with school counselors and health care specialists throughout the district and West Michigan to eliminate the stigma surrounding common needs that many families have around mental illness, and educate families on topics affecting youth today.

2022 Speaking Series for Parents

Help! My Kid Won't Go or Stay in School

Recorded on January 13, 2022

Watch on Vimeo.com

How to Talk to Your Child About Safe Relationships and Environments

Recorded on February 7, 2022

Watch on Vimeo.com

What to Know as a Parent About Substance Trends

March 23, 2022

promotional image for the March 2022 event
March 23rd from 6:30-7:30pm

Supporting LGBTQ+ Families

Watch on Vimeo.com

sponsored by the Awareness Acceptance and Advocacy Forest Hills Parent Group

Additional Resources

Using Restorative Practices to Help Children Understand and Process Cancellations, Changes, and their Impact

Restorative questions can be used to help facilitate a discussion about this school year. These questions are designed to allow students to voice their thoughts and feelings. Adults can be supportive and reassuring without trying to “fix” things. Validate your child’s’ concerns, even if you don’t fully understand or agree; this is a listening activity. If necessary, you may ask questions that allow for expanded responses, such as, “Tell me more about that…” or “Is there anything else you’d like to add?” Allow everyone, even the adults, the opportunity to share.

Many FHPS staff are trained in Restorative Practices and use this language in our schools. So, the format of the questions will be familiar to many students.  The questions can be adapted for nearly any situation, i.e., job loss, health concerns, fear/uncertainty about the future. The questions are as follows:

  • What did you think when you realized _______________ was cancelled?
  • What impact has this had on you and others?
  • What has been the hardest thing for you?
  • If you could get together or things could change, what would you do or say?
  • What would you like to see three months from now?

Tips for Supporting Your Child Through Grief and Loss

It is difficult to think or talk about death. Experiencing loss during a national pandemic creates even additional and unique challenges. Many of the traditional ways of processing grief will look different due to social distancing requirements. This will be an adjustment for all. We are hopeful that the suggestions and resources below will be helpful as you and your child process this loss.

  • It is important to talk about death even though it is hard. Allow your child to ask questions and answer truthfully. It is also okay not to have all the answers.
  • Expect that your child may exhibit mood swings, struggle with emotional expression and require reassurance that they are safe. It’s normal for everyone to have different feelings – fine and happy at times or sad or even mad at other times.
  • Be available to process feelings with your child. Validate their feelings using phrases such as “I can see why you would feel that way.”, “It is ok to feel that way.”, or simply “Tell me more about what makes you feel that way.”
  • Encourage self-care for both yourself and your child. Model ways to take care of yourself through physical exercise, spending time with family pets, music, etc.
  • Allow choice regarding how or if your child would like to be involved in events that are planned in celebration of the life that was lost.
  • Dedicate time to put down electronic devices and talk. We are in the midst of a time where everyone is working hard to stay connected virtually, while connection is key to feeling part of a community of support it is also important to set healthy boundaries with screens.

If you would like additional support or have concerns about your child please reach out to a FHPS counselor or mental health liaison. Contact information is provided at the top of this page.

Strategies for Self Care

  • Eat healthy foods
  • Stay physically active
  • Get regular sleep and rest
  • Create a sense of structure and routine in daily life.  You can do this by having regular times (Monday through Friday to wake up, eat, do school work, exercise/go outside, clean up around the house, have free time, and go to bed.
  • Connect socially with friends and family, while maintaining physical distance
  • Practice hobbies that have brought you joy in the past, or relaxation techniques that have worked for you before.
  • Limit the amount of news you take in online or through television. Just like we monitor and adjust our food intake based on what our bodies need/can handle, in this situation we all need to monitor our news intake.
  • Focus on what you can control, washing your hands, maintaining social distance, etc.

Grand Rapids Mental Health Agencies

Pine Rest – Forest Hills Clinic
877 Forest Hills Ave. Suite C, Grand Rapids, MI 49546

To schedule a new appointment for outpatient therapy call 616-455-5000.

Network 180 (medicaid only)
790 Fuller Ave., Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Open 24/7 for mental health crises.
To schedule an assessment for ongoing services call 616-336-3909.

Forest View Hospital
1055 Medical Park Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Toll-Free Phone: 800-949-8439
Local Phone: 616-942-9610

OK2SAY
Anyone can report tips on criminal activities or potential harm directed at students, school employees, or schools.
Tips can be submitted 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

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Contact the District

Forest Hills Public Schools
6590 Cascade Rd. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Phone: (616) 493-8800
Fax: (616) 493-8519

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