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Behavioral Health Collaborative

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Support for Students

The Behavioral Health Collaborative is a partnership with Union County Public Schools developed to support the social, emotional and mental health well-being of students across Union County.

School Clusters We Serve

The Behavioral Health Collaborative (BHC) team consists of School Social Workers and Behavioral Health Therapists who serve the following school clusters:

  • Forest Hills
  • Piedmont
  • Porter Ridge
  • Sun Valley
  • Weddington
  • Marvin Ridge
  • Cuthbertson
  • Parkwood

The BHC team is a part of the Student Support Team at each school served. 

Services provided by Behavioral Health Collaborative

  • Crisis
    Crisis Intervention

    Provide crisis intervention and threat assessment

  • FatherandSon
    Social Skills & Therapy

    Build social skills and provide mental health therapy.

  • Performance
    Adjustment & Performance

    Be a liaison for student and family regarding school adjustment and academic performance

  • Resources
    Resources

    Connect student and family to resources available to support various needs

  • Personnel
    Strategies

    Provide information, intervention strategies and training for a variety of needs that impact students

Growing up in a Digital Age: Supporting Your Child's Mental Health

In today's digital age, children and teens spend a lot of their time online, which can stir up strong feelings like FOMO and social comparisons that lead to jealousy. Grown-ups can help young people navigate the online world and those big emotions that come from social media. Here are a few tips to assist your young ones:

  • Clean Content Feeds: Keep online spaces positive by tidying up their feeds and who they are following.
  • Reality Check: Explain that profiles and pictures show the most glamorous side to a person's life.
  • Digital Balance: Promote a healthy balance between online and offline activities. 

Early detection of mental health issues is vital for positive outcomes. Teachers and school staff often notice signs of depression and anxiety in students. Collaboration between school personnel and parents/caregivers can help connect struggling students with mental health professionals like those from the Behavioral Health Collaborative. 

 


Our Behavioral Health Collaborative is dedicated to providing intentional support to students and families across Union County. That's why the team's school social workers and school therapists recently competed in an Amazing-Race-style challenge to learn more about valuable resources in our community. They faced challenges like packing food for clients, assisting with administrative tasks and partaking in a scavenger hunt through the facilities to learn more about the services these organizations offer.

 

Interning with Behavioral Health Collaborative

Students from various behavioral health disciplines like school of social work, and counseling programs can intern with Behavioral Health Collaborative.

Our program provides intern and practicum students hands-on experience to apply classroom learning and theories in K-12 schools with students in need. 

Internships require a commitment of two semesters or three quarters, ideally starting in the fall to coincide with the school year. This schedule supports the completion of university-required contact hours and provides a comprehensive learning experience.

Interested candidates should apply by early spring for a fall start.

During practicum, interns closely observe professionals supporting the social, emotional and behavioral health needs of students.
 
During the internship, second semester interns are transitioned into providing more hands on services and support for students.
 
We require interns to commit to a minimum of two semesters to ensure continuity in the learning experience for both interns and students.
  • Intern Success Story

    "I felt supported and cared for from day one, which continued throughout all three rotations. My supervisor was genuine, knowledgeable, available, and fully invested in providing me with a well-rounded experience."

  • Intern Success Story

    A former BHC intern continues to support students long after her internship. After learning that her husband’s coworker’s child was struggling with school-related anxiety, she connected that parent to this program. Now that student will get the support and tools needed to cope with anxiety.

  • Success Stories

    School Social Worker Ms. Poloche is amazing and we are so grateful to have her at our child’s school. Our son has anxiety, ADHD and is on the autism spectrum. The transition to middle school has been difficult and the bullying has been stressful. Ms. Poloche has been able to help our son through difficult times.

  • Success Stories

    "I cannot begin to thank you enough for being there for my son. Thank you for being there for all children. To my family, you mean everything."

  • Success Stories

    Therapist worked with Dropout Prevention staff to develop a plan with student. He's now on track with making up credits and attending therapy.

  • Success Stories

    Parent planning to homeschool her 5th grader due to anxiety, agreed to try therapy at school. He's improved already and the plan is for him to stay in UCPS.

  • Success Stories

    Home visit completed when student continued to be absent and parent could not be reached. Student returned to school the next day with our care.

Contact 

For more information or to request services for your student, contact a member of our leadership team listed below:

Program Manager

Christina Neal, MA, LCMHCS
Christina.Neal@unioncountync.gov 

School Social Work Supervisor

Emily Dilworth, LCSW
Emily.Dilworth@unioncountync.gov

Behavioral Health Therapist Supervisor:

Lynn Violette, LCSW
Lynn.Violette@unioncountync.gov
 

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