San Antonio mental wellness program poised to expand to help more students, educators

This article was originally published by San Antonio’s KSAT12 on December 13, 2021.

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative (SAMMWC) — implemented at South San, Edgewood and Harlandale school districts — is poised to expand its innovative approach of actually being on the campuses it serves.

By partnering with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute — considered a national leader in the field — and its support from the city and county, SAMMWC will be in San Antonio and Judson independent school districts next year, with plans to add two more districts annually.

“We also are having conversations with school districts across Texas and nationally to expand this model,” said Talli Goldman-Dolge, who will become the CEO of the collaborative she helped form in 2018 as the CEO of Jewish Family Service, along with five other nonprofits.

Goldman-Dolge also becomes the senior vice president for school and community partnerships statewide at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.

Goldman-Dolge said she credits the program’s success to its accessibility and its holistic approach to mental wellness.

“We brought comprehensive mental health services out of our offices and directly into the school community,” Goldman-Dolge said.

The program offers free counseling, training and outreach to students, teachers, administrators, families and caregivers.

Goldman-Dolge said the response has grown from 1,600 clients during its first year to what could be as many as 6,000-8,000 by the end of the school year.

“It definitely tells me that people are craving, needing and wanting mental health services,” Goldman-Dolge said.

The full article is available online here.