Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (“MESH”) Policies and Procedures

Introduction

Compassion and kindness are qualities that are at the foundation of our Ramah community. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming camp environment and support campers with issues related to mental, emotional, social and behavioral health and wellbeing. Our Camper Care Team, also known as Yoatzim, oversees this process and is supervised by the Camp Director.

Camper Care Team

Our Camper Care Team/Yoatzim provide support and resources to campers and staff and are the primary liaison to families of our campers. We work year round with families to develop support plans for campers during Camp. Yoatzim help staff to implement these plans during the summer. Yoatzim do not act as therapists and Camp is not a therapeutic environment. When appropriate, we facilitate connection between campers and therapists at home.

Participation Guidelines

Safe and successful summers are built on truthful communication and partnership. We will be unable to adequately support your camper should critical information about their well-being be withheld. All campers must complete their health and intake forms. Camp expects caretakers to share information regarding mental, emotional, and social health and encourage that they err on the side of over-disclosure. Failure to share relevant information may result in denial of admission to Camp. Please do not withhold information about the following or related issues:

• Connection with a therapist (or other mental health provider) to address mental, emotional or behavioral health concerns;

• Serious medical problems;

• An intention to stop medication for the summer;

• Hospitalizations for physical, mental, emotional or behavioral reasons since last summer;

• Suicidal gestures or ideation;

• History of self-injurious behaviors/self-harm;

• Traumatic circumstances including but not limited to family issues, caretaker/guardian separation, divorce, illness or death;

• Concerns regarding sexual or gender identity.

When significant mental health or behavioral issues are disclosed before the summer, we will work with the camper’s family, and their existing mental health team, to evaluate if Camp is the right setting for this summer. Our focus is on the safety of the camper, the impact on the broader community, and whether the guardians/caretakers, mental health team, camper and staff reasonably believe, given our resources, that we can develop a plan that will help ensure a successful summer.

Campers in the following situations may not be allowed to participate in Camp:

• An in-patient, hospital program;

• A day hospital program;

• Recent dismissal from a residential treatment program, wilderness program, or other equivalent;

• Inability to be in school or participate in school programming.

Mental, Emotional, and Social Health and Wellbeing Struggles at Camp

If a camper appears to be struggling at Camp:

• Staff will check in with the camper

• Staff will communicate with the Rosh Edah and Yoetz/et

• The Yoetz/et will communicate with caregivers and the camper as needed

• The team will implement strategies to support success when applicable. Strategies may include:

• Connecting with an outside therapist

• Limited schedule modifications

• Limited behavior charts and/or establishment of benchmarks and milestones

• Working with caregivers, appropriate mental health professionals, and the camper to build out appropriate help and support within the limitations of the Camp

Camp will not be able to offer adequate support and will need to send home a camper who expresses or is dealing with the following challenges:

• Suicidal thoughts, defined as thinking about killing oneself or expressing a plan/desire to kill oneself.

• Non-suicidal self-injury behaviors, defined as when a person hurts their own body on purpose by cutting, burning, pulling one’s hair out, etc. as a way to cope with mental or emotional pain, sadness, anger, or stress; may/may not be associated with suicidal thoughts or actions

• Threats of harm to self or others

• Disordered eating, which may include restrictive eating, compulsive eating, or irregular or inflexible eating patterns. Camp is not able to monitor individual campers’ food consumption on a meal-by-meal basis

• Depression that interferes with participation in Camp

• Extreme anxiety that interferes with participation in Camp

• Need for extensive individualized support not known before Camp

In handling any issue of camper safety, Camp will treat the camper and the matter at hand with respect and confidentiality. Staff cannot promise a camper that information will not be shared with guardians/caretakers. If there is a concern about a camper’s mental, physical, or emotional safety, guardians/caretakers will be contacted.