GAIN

The Germantown Academy Intervention Network (GAIN) is the Middle and Upper School’s student support and assistance program. The GAIN Team is a group of specially trained faculty members who meet regularly to discuss how we can best support students facing emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges.

GAIN receives referrals from teachers, parents, and other members of the GA community when there are concerns about a student’s well-being, including issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, or substance use. Using a structured, confidential process, the team gathers information, develops an action plan, and connects students with appropriate school or outside resources.

Our goal is to identify students who may be struggling, coordinate care across existing support systems, and ensure that every student has access to the help they need to thrive — academically, socially, and emotionally.

Philosophy

GAIN is a team of teachers who try to help students who are experiencing emotional and/or behavioral difficulties. All GAIN team members have had special training to identify those students who are in the throes of serious personal issues and then either develop a plan for helping them or, at least, monitor their well-being. Besides the students it identifies, GAIN helps students referred by friends, teachers, parents, and other people outside of the GAIN team. If a student is engaged in behavior inconsistent with school expectations, the student is especially encouraged to work with the GAIN team. The school's response to the student's behavior will be influenced by the student's willingness to address his or her difficulties.

In order to implement its philosophy the GAIN team will follow these objectives:

Identify students who appear to be at a high risk with respect to the following areas:

• substance abuse
• depression
• eating disorders
• suicide
• pregnancy
• anxiety
• physical, emotional, and sexual abuse

Incorporate the existing school resources into the GAIN system.

Educate the GA community about what "high risk" is and about the GAIN system and its procedures.

Collect data on observable behavior and assess the situation.

Refer the student to appropriate internal or external services when necessary.

Monitor the progress of aftercare following any referrals.