Holding Space with West40 is created for social workers, counselors, teachers, administrators, and school staff supporting K-12 students. Topics include AI, digital wellness, demystifying state mental health policies, building proactive parent trust, decoding behavior, trauma-informed co-regulation, and protecting practitioner well-being. Brought to you through the 2022 Project AWARE grant—funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, awarded to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and implemented by West40 Intermediate Service. www.west40.org
This episode continues the conversation with trauma specialist Constance Joubert and school social worker Kaitlyn Mentone to unpack the realities of trauma-informed care in K–12 schools. Together, they break down what co-regulation looks like, sounds like, and feels like in real time, examine how to balance trauma-informed empathy with clear boundaries, and discuss practical ways educators and building specialists can protect themselves from secondary traumatic stress.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Constance Joubert
Website: healingrootscollectivellc.com (http://healingrootscollectivellc.com)
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/constance-joubert-89bb24161 (http://linkedin.com/in/constance-joubert-89bb24161)
Email: healingrootscollective26@gmail.com (mailto:healingrootscollective26@gmail.com)
Kaitlyn Mentone
Website: https://intermediate.sd925.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1874655&type=u (https://intermediate.sd925.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1874655&type=u)
Email: kmentone@sd925.org (mailto:kmentone@sd925.org)
West40 Intermediate Service Center: https://www.west40.org/ (https://www.west40.org/)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
14 Oct 2026
Episode 7: Trauma-Informed Practice (Part 1)
When students carry trauma and chronic stress into the classroom, their survival instincts—fight, flight, freeze, or fawn—often get mislabeled as defiance, laziness, or disruption. How can educators and school mental health professionals move past reactive discipline toward authentic co-regulation?
In this episode of Holding Space with West40, host Lezlie Fuhr sits down with trauma specialist Constance Joubert and school social worker Kaitlyn Mentone to unpack the realities of trauma-informed care in K–12 schools. Together, they break down what co-regulation looks like, sounds like, and feels like in real time, examine how to balance trauma-informed empathy with clear boundaries, and discuss practical ways educators and building specialists can protect themselves from secondary traumatic stress.
Key Takeaways:
How trauma and survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) manifest in daily classroom behavior.
"Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like" of reactive discipline vs. proactive co-regulation.
Practical scripts and non-verbal cues teachers and specialists can use to calm a dysregulated student's nervous system.
Debunking the myth that trauma-informed care means "lowering expectations" or eliminating boundaries.
Strategies for front-line educators and school social workers to manage secondary traumatic stress and guard against burnout.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Constance Joubert
Website: healingrootscollectivellc.com (http://healingrootscollectivellc.com)
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/constance-joubert-89bb24161 (http://linkedin.com/in/constance-joubert-89bb24161)
Email: healingrootscollective26@gmail.com (mailto:healingrootscollective26@gmail.com)
Kaitlyn Mentone
Website: https://intermediate.sd925.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1874655&type=u (https://intermediate.sd925.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1874655&type=u)
Email: kmentone@sd925.org (mailto:kmentone@sd925.org)
West40 Intermediate Service Center: https://www.west40.org/ (https://www.west40.org/)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
14 Oct 2026
Episode 6: Behavior as Communication — Unlocking the Message Behind Student Actions
Decode student actions using the four core functions of behavior (Escape, Attention, Access, Sensory) to spot early escalation signals, prevent power struggles, and design realistic classroom replacement behaviors.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-mccarthy-bcba-09229129 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-mccarthy-bcba-09229129)
West40 Intermediate Service Center: https://www.west40.org/ (https://www.west40.org/)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
14 Oct 2026
Episode 5: Clinician Well-Being: Holding Space Without the Weight
School social workers, counselors, and psychologists spend their days holding intense emotional weight for students, families, and staff. But who holds space for the holders? When secondary traumatic stress and high caseloads take a toll, generic self-care tips aren't enough.
In this episode of Holding Space with West40, host Lezlie Fuhr sits down with Ashely Kuhl, Laura Guzman, and Jessica Janeteas to discuss practical, trauma-informed strategies for practitioner sustainability. Together, they explore how to set healthy emotional boundaries, establish end-of-day decompression rituals, combat professional isolation, and shift from surface-level self-care to systemic well-being.
Key Takeaways:
Why standard self-care advice fails for secondary traumatic stress—and what actually works.
Practical techniques for holding emotional space for students without absorbing their trauma.
Transition rituals to help school staff mentally leave work at the building door.
How administrators can foster peer supervision and psychological safety for mental health staff.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Ashley Kuhl
Website / LinkedIn: Ashley Kuhl Piwowarski - Hartgrove Behavioral Health System | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-kuhl-piwowarski-05683888)
Social Handles: https://www.instagram.com/hartgrovebhs (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.instagram.com/hartgrovebhs__;!!OPumOOY!KD0g7Wp8xx_y0QGoaLDB2YvlOzWn0xTp3TI8OFevOMY6FEyBL6UM7FqRjRncaDKwP7M79QAP329-jrSPcSXoGy6cbQrPXoY$) or Hartgrove Behavioral Health System | Chicago IL | Facebook (https://urlisolation.com/browser?clickId=17F9EC58-66BD-49DC-8DE9-77F92109AF76&traceToken=1788196208%3Buhsinc_hosted%3Bhttps%3A%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F19&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fhartgrovebhs%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr%26rdid%3DH7hoSu2O9cAKP0sW%26share_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fshare%252F19GirrRHNR%252F%253Fmibextid%253DwwXIfr%23)
West40 Intermediate Service Center
Mental Health Support: https://www.west40.org/mental-health (https://www.west40.org/mental-health)
BUILD: https://www.west40.org/build (https://www.west40.org/build)
West40 School-Based Mental Health Collaborative Social Work Network: https://www.west40.org/networks/sel-network (https://www.west40.org/networks/sel-network)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
29 Sept 2026
Episode 4: Role Clarity — Bridging Social Workers, Teachers & Admins Through MTSS
When school staff roles are unclear, social workers become overwhelmed, teachers feel unsupported, and students slip through the cracks. How can schools leverage the MTSS framework to define responsibilities clearly across intervention, maintenance, and crisis situations?
In this episode of Holding Space with West40, host Lezlie Fuhr sits down with MTSS Consultant Dr. Samantha Mullins to untangle role ambiguity in schools. Together, they outline an actionable blueprint showing exactly how classroom teachers, mental health specialists, and administrators can collaborate effectively at every level of student support while protecting specialist time.
Key Takeaways:
What high-functioning, collaborative school teams look like in daily practice.
Root causes of social worker role confusion and how MTSS provides structural clarity.
Division of responsibilities across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 SEL supports.
Actionable workflows for the 3 phases: Intervention, Maintenance, and Crisis Response.
How administrators can protect specialist schedules and troubleshoot common team breakdowns.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Dr. Samantha Mullins MTSS Consulting/Resources:
Website: https://mtssbydesign.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtssbydesign/
West40 Intermediate Service Center: https://www.west40.org/ (https://www.west40.org/)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
Building meaningful, collaborative relationships with families is essential for student success, yet navigating sensitive conversations around mental health, evaluations, and behavioral support can feel intimidating. How can school teams establish proactive trust early, handle delicate discussions with care, and keep parents engaged for long-term home-school carryover?
In this episode host Lezlie Fuhr is joined by Stephanie Jones (Education Attorney at F3 Law & Parent). She shares practical frameworks for proactive family engagement, scripts for crucial conversations, strategies for reframing parent defensiveness, and actionable ways to ensure home-school alignment.
Key Takeaways:
Essential mindsets for building proactive trust with parents before a crisis occurs.
Practical strategies and language for navigating crucial, delicate student conversations.
Reframing parent defensiveness through a trauma-informed and protective lens.
Methods to keep families engaged and empowered for consistent home-school carryover.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
F3 Law (Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP): [https://www.f3law.com/ (https://www.f3law.com/)
First Fridays Forum: https://www.f3law.com/first-fridays-forum/ (https://www.f3law.com/first-fridays-forum/)
West40 Intermediate Service Center: https://www.west40.org/ (https://www.west40.org/)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
29 Sept 2026
Episode 2: Universal Mental Health Screening — Policy, Guidance & Practice
With Illinois introducing universal mental health screening requirements in 2027, many educators, social workers, and administrators are asking: How will this actually work in our building?
In this episode of Holding Space with West40, host Lezlie Fuhr is joined by Sarah Schroeder from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Together, they unpack the vision behind universal mental health screening, address common fears around capacity and parent consent, and share what thoughtful preparation looks like and sounds like as districts prepare for 2027.
Key Takeaways:
The purpose, scope, and timeline of Illinois' 2027 universal mental health screening initiative.
Addressing staff trepidation around caseloads, privacy, and parent consent.
How to select screening tools and establish triage protocols before rolling out.
What successful screening implementation looks like, sounds like, and feels like in practice.
Actionable steps districts can take today to prepare their teams and community partnerships.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
IDHS:
BEACON (Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation):
https://beacon.illinois.gov/ (https://beacon.illinois.gov/)
ISBE:
Mental and Behavioral Health Screening: https://www.isbe.net/Pages/mentalhealthscreening.aspx (https://www.isbe.net/Pages/mentalhealthscreening.aspx)
Universal Mental Health Screening Non-Regulatory Guidance for School Districts (https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Universal-Mental-Health-Screening-Guidance.pdf) - August 2026
West40 Intermediate Service Center: https://www.west40.org/ (https://www.west40.org/)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
23 Sept 2026
Episode 1: Modern Student Mental Health: Navigating AI, Digital Safety, and Tech
Students today navigate a digital ecosystem that looks vastly different than it did just a few years ago. From turning to AI chatbots for emotional support and facing AI deepfakes, to leveraging digital tools for executive functioning and community connection—technology in schools is a true double-edged sword.
In this episode, host Lezlie Fuhr sits down with Jane Kim, founder of KindEd, to explore how educators, school clinicians, and parents can protect students from digital harms while leveraging modern technology as a tool for good.
Resources and Links:
KindEd Organization & Resources: https://kind-ed.org/ (https://kind-ed.org/)
Contact KindEd: https://kind-ed.org/contactus/ (https://kind-ed.org/contactus/)
West40 Intermediate Service Center: https://www.west40.org/ (https://www.west40.org/)
Project AWARE Grant Information: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware (https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware)
West40 Grants Network Coming Soon!
Interested in learning more about grants. Sign up here (https://bv1gazgcim.zite.so)!
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