Supporting Student Mental Health in Educational Settings: The MP-CITY Model
By Brandon Martinez, Research Associate
Using a tiered model, the Margaret’s Place in Communities Impacted by Trauma-exposed Youth (MP-CITY) program was able to reach more students with mental health services. A recent evaluation explored how the program was able to reach more youth with its services - which taught them about the impact of trauma and violence, created interactive opportunities for positive development, and provided students with spaces to learn, discuss, and heal.
Providing youth and young adults with a safe space to talk about trauma is a key part of healing from violence - and for preventing further harm that may stem from it. Designed and implemented by Joe Torre Safe at Home (JTSAH), the Margaret’s Place in Communities Impacted by Trauma-exposed Youth (MP-CITY) program supported the mental health needs of students in two Washington Heights schools by offering a tiered array of services that provided youth with individual and group counseling, spaces for discussion about violence and trauma, and multiple school-wide approaches to learning about and addressing the impact of trauma. Funded by the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) - a partnership between the CUNY ISLG and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office - MP-CITY set out to provide mental health services to students to promote healthy development, address the impact of trauma, and improve academic achievement. In turn, the program aimed to reduce criminal legal involvement by working with a local non-profit and two NYC schools.
Recent findings from an evaluation of MP-CITY, conducted by the Center for Justice Innovation, found that the program successfully provided students with multiple entry points to access mental health services. Students reported learning about violence and trauma and were satisfied with the curriculum.
A Tiered Model for Mental Health Services
MP-CITY offered services at two public schools in Washington Heights between 2018 and 2021. The program offered three programming tiers that provided multiple entry points for mental health supports (Table 1) so that a range of students with different types of mental health needs could engage with the program at the appropriate level. This model helped create a safe school environment, promoted healthy relationships, and increased access to helpful services that aim to prevent and address trauma to students. Providing appropriate mental health supports have been demonstrated to support students' health, behavior, relationships, and academic achievement.
The first tier of services included broader school-wide campaigns, a Peer Leadership program, and the classroom-based violence prevention program, YES. Tier 1 services were designed to be accessible to all students throughout the school. The second service tier consisted of classroom-based workshops and group discussions where students could learn about and discuss topics such as dating safety and healthy relationships. Tier 2 services were primarily designed for students who were at-risk for trauma who may not be exhibiting symptoms. Finally, the third tier of services included more targeted individual and group counseling, hosted in a designated space available for students to drop in and speak with a counselor as needed. In addition to these counseling services, program staff provided students with referrals to meet additional needs (e.g., case management, material support, medical services). Tier 3 services were particularly important for students experiencing acute stressors and exhibiting mental health challenges.
table 1. tiered service model at mp-city
figure 1: demographic characteristics of program participants
Reflective of the surrounding Washington Heights neighborhood, a majority of MP-CITY participants were Latinx (84 percent) (Figure 1). Additionally, most participants were female (53 percent) and in 9th grade or higher (73 percent). Students who attended individual and group counseling sessions did so in Margaret’s Place Space - a dedicated room within the school designed to be a welcoming safe space for students to meet with counselors. While most individual counseling lasted two sessions over 21 days, group sessions typically consisted of nine sessions over nearly four and a half months (Figure 2). Students also visited the room for Peer Leadership programming, workshops, and group discussions. The space was viewed as a major strength of the program, described by staff as providing students with a comfortable and accessible entry point to counseling. Known as the Purple Room by students and staff, the room with its bold purple walls helped establish a “brand” within the school.
Figure 2: Number of Counseling Sessions Attended and Duration of Counseling
Students’ Understanding of Violence and Trauma
As part of Tier 1 services, MP-CITY used the YES to teach 7th and 9th grade students about the impacts of trauma. The YES curriculum modules include a combination of presentations, interactive reflection activities, and vignettes to elicit student discussion. The violence prevention program was delivered in-class over five sessions, with individual topics for each session:
Understanding and identifying violence
Understanding the impact of trauma
Learning and applying coping skills and safety strategies
Understanding how to be a responsible bystander
Self-empowerment
Figure 4: Student Takeaways from YES
Figure 5: Student Satisfaction with YES
In general, YES programming was well-received by students. Three-quarters had a strong grasp of different types of violence, and most students increased their knowledge about bystander intervention strategies, coping skills, relationships, and the impact of trauma (Figure 4). Students also reported satisfaction with the YES program. A majority understood the curriculum topics, enjoyed the class activities, and felt that the class was interesting (Figure 5). Additional insights from staff interviews identified areas where the program could be strengthened, including:
Tailoring the program approach and delivery to individual grade-levels
Translating the curriculum into different languages - specifically Spanish - to best support the diverse needs of the student body and updating materials to be more culturally relevant
Emphasizing teacher and staff collaboration
Working with stakeholders to improve scheduling sessions during the school day
Updating aspects of the YES curriculum to include a focus on specific skills and opportunities for active learning (e.g., role playing).
About the Program and Evaluation
The MP-CITY program helped students access mental health services in a safe space and understand the impact of violence and trauma. The final evaluation report of the program, including process findings, is available here.
More than 20 years ago, Joe and Ali Torre founded JTSAH to save lives and end the cycle of violence and abuse through education. Today, JTSAH operates in 18 schools in three states as well as two international programs.
About the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) focuses on three investment areas—crime prevention, reentry and diversion, and supports for survivors of crime. The MP-CITY program is part of the CJII’s crime prevention-focused investments in Youth, Families, and Communities.
The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance manages and provides technical assistance to CJII contractors, and conducts oversight and performance measurement throughout the lifetime of the initiative.
Photo by Cavan for Adobe.