Jordan Feigal: Striving for Positive Student Mental Health
This post is part of the Lynden Schools Staff Spotlight series
When Jordan Feigal appreciates the natural beauty of Whatcom County and the Pacific Northwest, he’s generally searching for somewhere to explore. And when he’s traveling the country visiting family from Wisconsin to North Carolina, he’s enjoying his adventures, but always with an eye on returning home.
Feigal’s love of the area and what it has to offer helps him connect with students, families and staff within Lynden Schools and with colleagues across the county as Lynden’s mental health coordinator.
The Role
First and foremost, Feigal serves as a school-based resource for students and families. Whether checking in with students in person regarding any mental health concerns or consulting with families about support options, “my main goal is to connect students and families with support that will help them with whatever the mental health concern may be.”
He appreciates the collaborative team within the district, which has him working with school counselors, the Family Community Services team, administrators, support staff, teachers and specialists. Beyond the school, Feigal has built and maintains relationships with community-based mental health providers, including having them assist students within Lynden Middle and Lynden High schools.
He’s also working in collaboration with other Whatcom County school districts as part of a County Mobile Response Team that can support students amidst a crisis. In this service, districts request a group of trained members to respond to a school to support students and staff through a crisis, sometimes for a single day and other times for multiple days. He says all the districts involved have benefited greatly from the work of the team.
“My past work as a mental health counselor has typically been more solitary,” the third-year coordinator says, “and working on being supportive amid a broader systems has been a nice change for me and my career.”
In his position, Feigal aims to help the accessibility of mental health supports to the Lynden Schools community.
Getting to Know Jordan
When he’s not serving students, Feigal enjoys getting outside and appreciating the county he lives in. That can include hitting a local golf course, hiking, visiting the water and “generally exploring all there is to see.” With family from Minnesota to Wisconsin to North Carolina, Feigal welcomes the opportunity to visit when he can, but no matter where he goes, “I always appreciate coming home.”
