101. School-Based Therapy 101: Balancing Confidentiality, Crisis, & Care in Schools

In this episode of The Therapist Thrival Guide, Miranda sits down with Sam Griggs, a licensed professional counselor and clinic director, to unpack the real-world challenges and rewards of providing mental health services in school settings.

Sam shares what it’s really like to support students' mental health within the structure of a school day-- from navigating school expectations to managing crises in real time. Together, they explore how to balance confidentiality, connect with parents, and build trust with students—all while juggling the fast pace and unpredictability of school-based work.

Whether you’re currently working in a school, considering it, or just curious about what school-based therapy actually looks like, this episode offers practical insight, honest reflections, and creative strategies to help you thrive in this unique setting.

Timestamps:00:18 – Meet Sam: Licensed Professional Counselor & Clinic Director01:04 – What Are School-Based Mental Health Services?03:01 – Common Challenges in School-Based Therapy05:03 – Navigating School Expectations as a Clinician06:44 – Confidentiality & Handling Crisis Situations10:14 – A Day in the Life of a School-Based Therapist12:27 – Group Therapy in School Settings17:24 – How to Engage Parents and Caregivers22:16 – Creative Solutions for School-Based Barriers30:20 – Final Thoughts & Encouragement for School-Based Clinicians

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of thriving by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise to help us learn how to thrive as therapists.⁠⁠

⁠⁠Miranda Barker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, MSW, LICSW, ⁠⁠has been practicing as a therapist for over three years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Director of Content and Production at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

The Therapist Thrival Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠⁠⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠⁠⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#therapy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠