Project Thrive: Bringing Mental Health Support Directly to Children
At Wellpoint Care Network, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to truly thrive. We also know that finding a quality mental health professional can be difficult and time-consuming.
That’s why in 2021, we teamed up with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and the Medical College of Wisconsin to create Project Thrive, a grant-funded program where therapists go directly into sites throughout Milwaukee to provide mental health support and trauma screening.
“One of the benefits of Project Thrive is that we are able to provide that treatment to the student right at the Club or school they already attend,” said Liz Davison, Clinical Supervisor and Therapist at Wellpoint Care Network. “For families, transportation and parent availability can be a barrier to treatment. Project Thrive helps eliminate that barrier.”
As Project Thrive enters its third year, Wellpoint Care therapists are now serving in five locations, including the recently added St. Joseph Academy, where students are able to meet with therapists during the school day in addition to the after-school program.
Expanding Mental Health Access Across Languages
The addition of location has also allowed Wellpoint Care to continue to extend mental health access to a more diverse group in the Milwaukee area, including St. Joseph’s large Spanish-speaking population.
“Our clinical services team has recently added a Care Navigator who is bilingual,” said Davison. “That will continue to be helpful in the process of explaining the programs and assisting guardians in signing consents.”
Plans for Future Expansion
Project Thrive’s goal is to have Wellpoint Care therapists present in eight locations by the end of 2026, with a focus on additional schools which can allow for more group-based therapies.
“We hope to offer trauma-based group therapy for kids, which will allow us to reach more kids at a time.” said Davison. “That’s been in the plan all along.”
Changing the Stigma Around Mental Health
Since its inception, Project Thrive has worked hard to overcome the distrust of the mental health system that can be prevalent in a lot of under-served communities.
“One of the biggest highlights for me is the change in attitude toward mental health treatment within the youth,” said Davison. “We’ve come into the Clubs and become part of the community, to the point where kids are asking to meet with us. There’s a lot more openness and eagerness to talk to a therapist.”
The program also helps therapists maintain ongoing engagement with the children in their care – which is one of the largest predictors of success in therapy.
“A lot of the kids that we’re working with have had significant trauma and relationships are challenging for them,” explains Davison.
“It’s been beautiful to see how they’re able to connect, to trust, to feel cared for and supported. This can be a slow process, but we’re laying a foundation here that they can build on for the rest of their lives.”
