Prevent 2 Protect team works to improve lives for students in Michigan

With a focus on changing the lives of kids and their communities, Alyse Folino Ley, D.O., director of Prevent 2 Protect, says the efforts of this program are already being felt in school districts and communities in Michigan just two years after it kicked off.

The Prevent 2 Protect program launched in October 2022 funded by a $15 million appropriation from the Michigan Department of Education with a focus on preventing targeted violence in schools by addressing mental health. High-risk adolescents identified by school Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) teams are referred to the Prevent 2 Protect HUB team, which was established Jan. 1, 2023. The HUB team provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment and creates an individualized care plan which is then implemented in the child’s community.

Led by Dr. Ley, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with clinical expertise in trauma-related disorders and associate chair of education and research in the Michigan State University Department of Psychiatry, a joint department of the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine, the Prevent 2 Protect HUB team also includes Danielle Murphy, project manager; Ellery Sosebee, law enforcement liaison; Amanda Potter, lead case manager; and Lieza Klemm, communications coordinator.

The Prevent 2 Protect program has established three of the five intensive support teams it plans to launch in the state of Michigan. Teams are currently operating in districts throughout Calhoun County in southwest Michigan, the three counties (Lake, Oceana, and Mason) covered by the West Shore Education School District in the northwest part of the state, and most recently a team was established in several districts overseen by the Ingham County Intermediate School District in mid-Michigan.

More than 45 referrals have been received from the three established regions with about 20 students enrolled in the program. And Dr. Ley is happy to report, “by in large those kids are doing exceedingly well.”

She said some of the kids in the program have gotten re-enrolled in school and are back on the path to graduation. Others have joined school activities, and these kids are not getting kicked out of school. These positive outcomes are celebrated by the Prevent 2 Protect team.

Prevent 2 Protect launches in schools

The first participants in Calhoun County entered Prevent 2 Protect in October/November of 2023 with participants joining in from West Shore a month later. Beginning with assessments and meetings with parents, guardians and families, the teams are working with students in these two school districts. Then, in the spring, the team also began working with the Ingham County ISD with applications from East Lansing Public Schools, Holt Public Schools, Mason Public Schools, Lansing Public Schools, Okemos Public Schools and Williamston Community Schools for students to participate in the program.

Students identified as high risk for targeted violence receive case management, systems navigation, monitoring and mentorship from the Intensive Support Teams under the direction of the HUB team. Once the Prevent 2 Protect team receives a referral from a school, the regional team meets with parents/guardians or others to gain consent to begin their work, then talking with the child’s school district, mental health supports, probation officers, physicians, anyone involved with the child’s support and care.

Each Prevent 2 Protect regional Intensive Support Team (IST) includes a regional case manager and mentor. The case manager works with the schools and oversees the participants from those schools, as well as working with the family to help them navigate systems, resources and assisting with any issues, such as transportation to school. Case managers also are the communication conduit for all involved in the care of the child, whose needs may go beyond the Prevent 2 Protect program, such as special education accommodations, or help with a psychiatric illness or a family member who is ill. There could be a need for clothes or a bed; everything must be considered.

Mentors work directly with the child. Considered one of the most important pieces of this work, the mentor is the student’s constant support. “It’s the person whose face lights up when that kid walks in the room. It’s the person touching base with that kid, monitoring and also showing a new path, a path away from violence and path into social integration, into the community,” Dr. Ley said. “The mentors help our students to develop a sense of competence, help them find ways to contribute to the community and to be connected in some way.

“One positive adult in a kid’s life can change their life.”

This is already evident. Dr. Ley said, for example, students who are part of the program are engaging in the community, joining school teams, and making friends in the same school community they once had felt separated from.

“We’re seeing positive outcomes and seeing changes in kids’ lives,” explained Dr. Ley. “None of the kids in the program have been involved in a violent act since they joined. They’re back in school and getting the services needed.”

While, she added, although it is difficult to measure the number of lives saved, because of the P2P program and the work to help these children, what is known is how many lives have been changed. The work of protecting children has long been the focus of Dr. Ley throughout her career, and now Prevent 2 Protect allows her to, watch these kids grow, positively contribute to their community and develop a sense of belonging.

“Every time they (children in Prevent 2 Protect) have a victory, we get to be there and see it,” Dr. Ley said, adding a victory for that child is also a victory for the community. “By helping one, we will save many.”

Prevent 2 Protect Information:

Organizations can request a consult through the Prevent 2 Protect website. The team provides consultation and expert advice regarding a range of topics to assist community efforts in the prevention of school violence. Consultation services are focused on supporting professionals working with adolescents who are at risk of engaging in targeted violence.

Prevent 2 Protect is teamed with the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health for programmatic evaluation.

By Terri Hughes-Lazzell

Article posted on: November 19, 2024

Prevent 2 Protect teams now working in three Michigan counties

Prevent 2 Protect has established intensive support teams in three regions of the state of Michigan since its inception in 2022. The newest region to join the program is Ingham County, preceded by both Calhoun County and West Shore Educational Service District. Two additional regions are planned in the coming months.

Ingham County Regional Team is newest in the Prevent 2 Protect Program

Mary Gebara’s work as a child development specialist came full circle when she first heard a talk by Alyse Folino Ley, D.O., director of Prevent 2 Protect program at Michigan State University. Knowing she had to meet Dr. Ley, Gebara approached her and talked, and then followed up and talked more. Now, Gebara is the Prevent 2 Protect regional case manager for the Ingham County School Districts.

Similarly, Jay Greene, who serves as the mentor on the Ingham County regional team, has spent his 24-year career supporting and working with youth on probation, in detention centers and residential facilities. The former tight end on the MSU football team earned his degree in psychology and has focused on helping kids since graduation. He joined the Prevent 2 Protect team Nov. 4.

Gebara and Greene work with the schools in the Ingham County ISD that have applied to Prevent 2 Protect, a program focused on preventing mass violence in schools by addressing the needs of high-risk students. To date, those schools include East Lansing Public Schools, Holt Public Schools, Lansing Public Schools, Mason Public Schools, Okemos Area Schools and Williamston Community Schools.

Once the Prevent 2 Protect HUB team receives an application or referral from one of the schools, Gebara meets with parents or guardians of that child and introduces them to the Prevent 2 Protect program, discusses how the program works and what that looks like. Gebara then obtains consent to collaborate with the school district, mental health supports, law enforcement, probation officers, physicians, and any other member of that child’s support team.

What Gebara has found in her first two months on the job is that the families are “really eager to meet me and want help, even if they don’t understand everything about the program yet– they feel their child needs help.”

For the families, it’s almost a relief, she said, especially once they have the initial meeting and discover they aren’t being told to do everything but are instead given the resources and the support. The Prevent 2 Protect team is there to do the work for them and with them.

“There are cases where a child may have been expelled, they could be in a detention center or a psychiatric hospital – and they are just trying to survive,” Gebara said. “I come in and say I’m going to help you manage resources for your child and we have a dedicated mentor for your child who will help them in so many ways.

“We’re not instead of, we’re in addition to.”

Once the information is gathered for the child who was recommended to the program and the parents and/or guardians agree to have their child in Prevent 2 Protect, information is gathered from all individuals working with the child and then a multidisciplinary holistic assessment is done with the child and the family.

“We put together a full picture of the child, their life and circumstances from birth until now,” Gebara said. Criminal records are checked and conversations around any past events are held to provide the most holistic and comprehensive picture of the child and their life. The information is shared with Dr. Ley and the Hub team, and an individualized plan is developed for the child.

Then, the work really begins, everyone doing their part – the child, family, school and the P2P team supporting the child within their community. And while this is all happening, Gebara said, the child, family and team are building a partnership.

What they’ve found during these early meetings is most of the children don’t have a sense of belonging in their community This is where the Prevent 2 Protect team jumps in.

“We try to create those communities – if they like chess, we find ways for them to participate,” Gebara said. “If they play football, but don’t have the money for the equipment, we have the funds. We will find a way.”

It’s about finding answers to needs and then supporting that student, parents/guardians and the schools that referred the student. “This is a long-term thing, it’s not 12 sessions and you’re done,” Gebara explained, adding these children need constant monitoring and support, and that’s what she, the child’s mentor and the P2P team ensure happens.

For Greene, this work continues building on his passion to support kids in need. “I love finding opportunities to help individuals,” he said. “At the end of the day, these kids all need our help. We need to have patience and be willing to help them.”

He’s excited to be working with a team with the heart for this work. “I like showing kids the possibilities.”

As a child development expert, Gebara considers school violence the greatest epidemic of this generation. She is inspired by the work and mission of Prevent 2 Protect and believes that through this program the team will develop a proven, multifaceted approach toward ending targeted violence among adolescents. Gebara’s professional, personal and volunteering experiences have all been dedicated to children, their well-being and the communities in which they live. She believes that by making a difference in the life of one child it can positively impact an entire community.

Gebara references the positive changes she has already seen in participants. “These children are making positive gains in so many ways and that is a huge win for them on an individual level,” she said. “But their wins are also a win for the school community and their families as well. When the child feels connected to and accepted by their community, they discover all they really wanted was to belong.”

Prevent 2 Protect Calhoun Region strives to make a difference

For the team in the Calhoun ISD region, there was no question about joining the project. Adam Royer, the regional case manager, was introduced to Prevent 2 Protect when the HUB Team presented at the ISD where he served as a school social worker. “I just became fascinated,” Royer said, eventually reaching out through e-mail to see if there was any possibility for collaboration in the future.

Royer’s background includes 14 years as a school social worker in various districts around the region. He uses his experience in the community and working with students to positively impact the lives of the participants. “I’ve been working with people for a long time, and in the community for quite a while now,” Royer said. “I think that has prepared me for what I’m doing.”

Calhoun’s regional mentor, Traci Austin, knew a team member on the project. With extensive experience in law enforcement, eventually retiring as sergeant from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office after 24 years of service, Austin saw first-hand how important a project like Prevent 2 Protect could be in a community.

“At the end of the day, we have to look at the person and what that person is doing that makes them want to engage in violence,” Austin said. “That’s what drew me in. The whole concept of how we can really get this done.”

For Austin, a career in law enforcement required her to hone an ability to talk with individuals coming from different circumstances. “What you end up being is a counselor, a life coach...a social worker,” Austin said. “You end up talking to people who want to hurt themselves, kids who are acting out, and you have to adapt very quickly to how they’re responding to your words.”

Royer’s and Austin’s combined experience in the community, paired with a passion to help others, makes them an incredible team within the region. A history of counseling gives Royer the ability to create and guide effective care plans for the participants. “It definitely helps me to understand where behaviors come from, like factors that impact the kids,” he said.

The time Austin spent in law enforcement taught her that adaptability is key to problem-solving. “You have to be fluid in this position and adjust,” she said. “No one’s ever done this.”

And while it’s difficult to put numbers to the impact of their work, the team sees positive transformation in the participants they work with. “I think building those relationships can be a win,” Royer said, “just being a caring individual for some of these people who I think haven’t had that before or don’t feel that.”

When we take an individual who’s on the pathway to violence and we put them on the pathway to a positive future, that’s a win,” Austin added.

It’s clear that Royer and Austin care deeply about the participants and the project. “I’ve been spewing about P2P since I heard about it,” Austin said, “with everyone who will listen.”

“I want [people] to be able to just jump into my mind and see the profound impact we can make.” Royer added.

West Shore ESD Regional Team Sees Impact of Work

In the northern lower peninsula, the West Shore ESD Region serves school communities in Lake, Mason, and Oceana Counties. Working with nine separate school districts, the regional team provides critical support to the participants and their families.

“I would say I’ve always been deeply committed to helping students reach their full potential and advocating for their needs,” said Syriah Dobis, the region’s case manager, adding, “particularly those who have circumstances that may otherwise go unnoticed.”

Coming into the project as a former school psychologist, Dobis understands the academic and behavioral challenges the participants experience. “This work gives me the chance to still support youth and help to shift the trajectory of their lives,” she said.

Noah Petzak, the regional mentor, started out in Children’s Protective Services with the state of Michigan, but eventually realized he was meant to make a difference somewhere else. His experience working with kids and an education in sociology led to his interest in Prevent 2 Protect.

“This is something that I do think works,” Petzak said. “Even in the few months I’ve been working with these kids, I’ve seen positive changes in each of them.”

Both Petzak and Dobis have worked directly with kids, and Dobis has direct experience navigating school systems to support students and families. “I often saw gaps in the systems that were designed to support at-risk youth, especially in the youth who face complex and layered challenges,” Dobis said.

Prevent 2 Protect gives Dobis and Petzak the opportunity to take an active role in enacting positive change in their community and seeing the outcome of that change.

“We’re able to work through problems in a unique and productive way,” Petzak said. “There’s a lot of room to try different things to see what works with kids. It’s really cool to see the growth of these kids that we’re working with.”

Petzak and Dobis see the impact of their work and the project as a whole, every day.

“I see so much growth in these families and in the students that we support and see the tangible progress they’ve made,” Dobis said. “When getting at-risk youth back on track, families can often feel overwhelmed with how to move forward. That’s where my job comes in to get everyone on the same page to form a more cohesive and coordinated plan that serves the child’s best interests.”

“We have these goals that we set for these kids and do six-month reviews,” Petzak said. “They meet most of their goals by each review, and [then] need new goals after that.”

The team strongly believes in the mission of the project.

“While this work can be challenging, it is incredibly fulfilling,” Dobis said. “It’s about building trust and believing in their potential and then showing up consistently so that they realize that they’re not alone.”

With resources not available to communities before Protect 2 Prevent, the team is excited for the future.

“I love this work,” Dobis said. “It’s super meaningful...and much needed.”

By Lieza Klemm and
Terri Hughes-Lazzell