PULSE is Durham Public Schools’ plan for supporting every student’s emotional and mental well-being. Built on partnership, prevention, and easy access to help, PULSE brings together three connected programs to offer different levels of support across the district.
Whether a student needs short-term therapy, long-term care, or help in a crisis, PULSE makes sure they receive caring and coordinated support right at school.
If you are in a crisis or need crisis services:
Call your behavioral healthcare provider if you have one.
Call the Alliance Behavioral Health Crisis Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 877-223-4617. Alliance staff will evaluate your needs and help you find the right service and care.
Call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Callers have the option to speak with a Peer Support Specialist, someone living in recovery from mental illness or substance use disorder.
If this is a life-threatening emergency, call 911. If you need the police, ask for a CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Officer or the HEART Team .
Making an ECHO Referral
Anyone who supports a student can make an ECHO referral. Most referrals are made by primary care physicians, guardians, and school staff like teachers or student support teams. If you would like to make a referral, complete the form below and submit it to your student’s school social worker or school counselor.
Referral Form (English) Referral Form (Spanish)
For any questions about ECHO, please contact
Kourt Royster, WHOLE Schools-School Based Well Being Specialist, Email
Gloria Sanchez, SEL/Mental Health Coordinator at E-mail
Tomeka Ward-Satterfield, Director of Student Wellness and Advocacy, E-mail
Alliance SURGE and SYNC School-Based Team
The Alliance Health Durham School-Based Team (SBT) is a partnership between Durham Public Schools and Alliance Health, funded by Durham County. Students who are having mental health challenges or intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) concerns that affect their success in school can be referred to SBT.
The team helps connect students and families to the services they need. School staff can refer students to two SBT programs. The first is the SURGE Program, which includes mental health referrals and IDD/long-term services referrals. The second is the SYNC Program, which provides crisis support and help with PRTF (Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility) needs.
About
SYNC-Crisis Program
The SYNC-Crisis Program links students across the crisis continuum to appropriate MH/SUD/IDD services. The program also supports the student in their transition back to school after a crisis episode. The Crisis Program accepts referrals from community partners, DPS staff, internal Alliance staff and others.
SYNC
The SYNC-PRTF Program
The SYNC-PRTF Program partners with designated DPS school social workers to work with Durham County students receiving treatment in psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs) to ensure educational continuity and a quick, coordinated re-enrollment after discharge from the facility.