Building a Safety Net: Dr. Shericka Smith on ECHO and School Mental Health

For Dr. Shericka D. Smith, DSW, LCSW, collaboration is essential to meeting students' growing mental health needs. As Mental Health Coordinator for Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, Kentucky, she supports district social workers and mental health specialists to ensure every student has what she calls a “safety net.”

“In my role, I support our district's social workers and district mental health specialists to ensure every student has a ‘safety net,’” she explains. The challenges are increasing. “Currently, we are seeing a rise in anxiety, depression, and the long-term effects of social isolation. There is also a heightened need for trauma-informed care, particularly for students dealing with ‘cultural trauma’ or community-based stressors that impact their ability to focus in the classroom.”

The ECHO Project, supported by the Council for Exceptional Children’s Mental Health Fund, is built for moments like this. It is a national learning network that strengthens school behavioral health systems through an “all teach, all learn” model. State, district, and school leaders meet regularly with experts and peers, blending focused learning with real-world problem-solving to build practical, scalable strategies.

Dr. Smith describes the model as a “hub-and-spoke” knowledge-sharing network. “Specialist experts, the hub, use video conferencing to mentor local practitioners, the spokes,” she says. “It’s not a one-way lecture. It’s a collaborative loop where we use real-world cases to master complex health and education challenges together.”

“I joined the 2025 Kentucky ECHO Project cohort to increase our district's capacity to handle complex cases,” she says. The project aligned with her commitment to being a “life-long learner” and her goal of bringing back “evidence-based strategies to Fayette County that specifically address the scarcity of resources for our most vulnerable families.”

The structure itself stood out. “The most valuable part of this format was knowing that my experience as a district leader is valued just as much as a clinical specialist’s expertise,” Dr. Smith shares. “It breaks down professional silos and recognizes that the person ‘on the ground’ often has the most practical insights to share.”

One strategy she has reinforced is the use of supplemental screening tools. “This helps our team look beyond standard behavior and understand the specific issues that might be triggering students.”

The impact is tangible. “I’ve seen an increase in collective efficacy among my colleagues,” Dr. Smith notes. “Our counselors feel less like they are on an island when facing ‘heavy’ cases.” For students, that means “faster, more specialized support right in their own school building, rather than waiting months for an outside referral.”

For Dr. Smith, the connection between educator support and student outcomes is clear. “Investing in initiatives like ECHO is vital because educator wellness is student wellness,” she says. “When we provide our staff with high-level mentorship and a support network, we reduce burnout. A supported, knowledgeable educator is the best tool we have to ensure our students are resilient and ready to learn.”