News & Notes

When Kathleen Boyd sees a child having trouble in school, she sees more than a student struggling with grades. She sees beyond the classroom. She sees a boy or girl who is part of a school, a family and a larger community who needs support. “I look at each child in terms of his or her world,” said Boyd, who is a Bert Nash child and family therapist in Eudora. “Life happens to all of us and can often be overwhelming. Kids struggle as well as adults when there is loss, a family

When Charlie Kuszmaul heard about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., like everyone, he was appalled. But he wasn’t surprised. He knew the possibility existed for the same horrible act to occur at any school in the country. Including here. “When Columbine happened I was at Lawrence High School and everyone there was aware that it just as easily could have happened in Lawrence, or anywhere,” said Kuszmaul, who is coordinator of Bert Nash Center's W

Programs like Mental Health First Aid and WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) not only save money. They save lives. “It just isn’t worth the risk (not to fund these programs),” Bert Nash CEO David Johnson told U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins last week. Since 2008, more than 100,000 people nationwide have been trained in Mental Health First Aid, including more than 800 in Douglas County. The 12-hour training course — Bert Nash was one of seven pilot programs in the na

One father can’t say enough good things about what the WRAP* program has done for his son. His son has ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and has benefited from the WRAP program since he was in elementary school. His son is now 18 and a senior at Free State High School. “The WRAP Program is a great resource in the school system. The WRAP counselor at Free State High School, April Ramos, has been an advocate for our son, and