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!”