Itinerant Mental Health Providers are mental health therapists from vetted community agencies whom families have hired to do work with a student outside of school.  MPS allows Itinerant Mental Health Providers to meet with students at school when the parent, school social worker, and itinerant provider deem that it is important to a student's education and wellbeing. Please note that this process is limited to licensed clinical mental health providers and does not include ABA/EIDBI agencies.

Itinerant Mental Health Provider process for SY22-23:

1.  Mental Health Agency authorized signer must complete the Itinerant Mental Health Provider Agency Agreement.  This form is to be completed once per Agency and covers all Agency therapists.  Agency signer will receive a copy of the signed agreement via email once it is approved by MPS.  Approved agencies will be added to this list.

2. Itinerant Provider must obtain signed parent/guardian consent to meet with student in school using the MPS Itinerant Mental Health Release of Information and Consent form (available in 4 languages).

Scheduling a meeting with a student

• Itinerant Provider must provide the following when requesting to meet with student in school:
   -Copy of the signed Agency Agreement
   -Copy of signed ROI/consent form as mentioned above. Please maintain a copy at your Agency and share a copy with the Social Worker for school records.
   -Valid Photo Identification (State ID or Agency ID/work badge)

• Itinerant Mental Health Providers will follow each school’s process for requesting to meet with a student; meetings should take place at a time and frequency directed by School Staff and should not significantly interfere with a student’s educational program.

• Meetings are limited to one hour visits and one time per week.

• Due to space limitations, timing, staffing limitations or other considerations, schools may not be able to accommodate agency staff's presence in buildings.

• As a general practice, MPS schools are not able to accommodate telehealth/virtual sessions.

FAQs:
Parent gave consent for me to observe a student in class.  Why can’t I do that? 

As a general practice, MPS does not allow non-MPS individuals to conduct classroom observations for the following reasons:

• Issues of data privacy: In a classroom, student’s names are not private; especially in special education classrooms – if another non MPS adult spends time in this classroom and hears student names.  We are indirectly telling this adult that this child is a special education student, which is private information.
• Disruption to the learning environment: Any adult who enters into the classroom can cause disruption to the observed child or any other child; especially if the student knows the adult.                 
• Purpose of the observation information: Raises the questions of, What do the observers do with the info? If classroom observation information is shared with parents, what if the observed has concerns about the teaching and how the teacher interacts with the assigned child or others?  How is that information managed?
• Possible Role confusion for child: Having an adult in the classroom that has another professional relationship with the child can muddy the idea of who is in charge of that child in that classroom.  If there is a behavior issue,  or the child becomes sad or upset, will be observer feel the need to respond?  What if the child approaches the observed with a complaint or a concern?