2022 Education magazine

2022 Education Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS February / March 2022 Page 31 program leaders hope to impart an important message to students: It’s OK to not feel OK. “We have been able to engage children and families who were in need of therapy and support, but who were not engaging in counseling services,” said Ponser. “We’ve had many success stories that involve young clients struggling with acting-out behavior, anxiety or depression – going untreated, unaddressed – but, through consistent interventions by our embedded counselors, we are able to catch these kids early and provide support to them before their symptoms can progress and create large problems in their lives.” The program is also curving the perception of diagnostic criteria for a specific mental illness. Students don’t have to be mentally ill to need or qualify for therapy. “We hope students come to accept counseling as something that could be beneficial to them no matter what may or may not be happening in their lives, as opposed to seeing counseling as some mysterious thing reserved for only very sick people,” said Ponser. “I’m so encouraged when I hear from school staff and program therapists and parents, about our clients’ noticeable improvements. Through the MOSIAC program, our young people are learning strategies that allow them to socialize and problem-solve effectively and just be happier in their lives.”