The Lutheran Foundation has partnered with Indiana University’s Indiana School Mental Health Initiative (ISHMI) to provide online resources to support schools and community partners as they address students’ social, emotional, behavioral and mental health needs.
The Lutheran Foundation’s statewide website, LookUp, provides mental health information along with a resource directory of mental health provider agencies searchable by name, city, or zip code.
The Indiana School Mental Health initiative has worked with the foundation to design one aspect of the website that focuses on school-age issues. The LookUp website offers educational information in the form of videos, articles, resources, and talking points.
“The best place to proactively address the social, emotional and mental health of our children and youth is through our schools,” said Christy Gauss, school mental health facilitator with the Indiana School Mental Health Initiative. “We also now know through educational neuroscience research that our students’ social and emotional development is essential to promoting their cognitive and academic development.”
Since 2017, the Indiana School Mental Health Initiative has provided training and resources to school personnel focusing on the social, emotional, behavioral and mental health needs of Indiana’s students. ISHMI encourages a local Systems of Care approach, in which schools collaborate with local community stakeholders, including youth, agency partners and families, to collectively define challenges and provide relevant and appropriate options around prevention, intervention and service options.
“LookUp is a resource for the community, built by the community”, said Kristina Johnson, Director of Community Initiatives with The Lutheran Foundation. “Working collaboratively enables LookUp to be a more comprehensive resource. It is exciting to have public and private sectors working together!”
About LookUp
In 2016, The Lutheran Foundation launched LookUp, a website-based initiative designed to provide mental and behavioral health information, and reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health help. Truly a one-stop shop for mental health resources, website users can search for providers nearest them throughout Indiana, get information on mental health topics, keep up to date on recent news and blog posts, check for upcoming trainings and events and find 24/7 help. By connecting those touched by mental and behavioral health issues with life-changing resources, Look Up serves as a statewide clearinghouse delivering community-wide hope and healing.
About The Lutheran Foundation
The Lutheran Foundation’s vision is spiritual, mental, and physical well-being for all people. In 2013, the Foundation commissioned a comprehensive mental and behavioral health needs assessment which revealed people don’t know where to go for mental health help. LookUp is one of the Foundation’s major initiatives in response to the assessment and the vision of mental wellness for all people.
About the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
The Indiana School Mental Health Initiative is at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, one of six centers within the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. The institute, an Indiana University research center, works to put good ideas into everyday practice in schools and community settings to improve choices and quality of life for people with disabilities and their families through research, education and service.
