Cassie’s Story
When Cassie started her first year at Menasha High School she was a bright young lady and had great plans
for the future. She was thinking of one day going to medical school. Then things changed.
Cassie suffered from anxiety, which can be very debilitating, and her condition was exacerbated by the change
from middle to high school. Early in the school year, Cassie began having difficulty making it to her first class
each morning due to increased anxiety.
Bob, one of the school counselors, arranged to have Cassie come to the office each morning and then he
would escort her to her classes. By October, Cassie’s condition got worse and she had difficulty making it into
the building. Bob began meeting her at the door each morning and escorting her to her classes. Bob knew that
without treatment, Cassie’s anxiety would only get worse. She would begin missing school and by the end of
the year she would probably drop out.
Cassie was from a single parent home and her mother worked two jobs without any benefits. Even if the family
could afford treatment for Cassie, her mother could not take time off of work to take Cassie to an appointment.
You may think that Cassie’s story is unusual, but sadly it’s not. Many of our young people suffer from mental
health issues. According to the 2006 LIFE Study, a community assessment of the Fox Cities, 25% of tenth
graders reported experiencing depression within the past 30 days and 14% had attempted suicide.
United Way's PATH for Students, a school-based program designed to improve access to mental health
services for children and youth who are unable to obtain care elsewhere in the community was established in
2008. United Way’s PATH provides the necessary coping skills to address mental health problems. The
program is offered in select schools in the Appleton, Freedom, Hortonville, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Little Chute,
Menasha, Neenah, Seymour and Shiocton school districts. The therapy is provided by licensed therapists from
Catalpa Health, Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin and Lutheran Social Services of WI and Upper
Michigan.
Bob referred Cassie to the PATH program and by Christmas she was showing marked improvement, was
attending class regularly, and even felt comfortable going to school assemblies. Cassie has now graduated
from Menasha High School and is attending a local college.