Role: School_Admin
Question: We have seen an uptick in students coming to the school counselors expressing issue related to anxiety and depression. We currently refer to a community-based clinic for support but the students are not making it to their appointments for various reasons.  We would like to hire a clinician to work in the building. However, there is a group of parents in our district who are resistant to our school providing mental health services.  Can you tell me why it is important to deliver mental health services in schools? How can we increase buy in from the parents in our district?
Answer: It can be hard to detect issues like anxiety and depression in students. For young people, these issues can often manifest as irritability or physical complaints like headaches or stomachaches. It’s easy to mistake anxiety and depression for work avoidance or grouchiness. However, anxiety and depression are very real and very treatable. Even if anxiety and depression are not immediately obvious to us, they are standing in the way of our students learning. That’s why it’s important to address mental health in schools. Students can’t learn if they don’t feel psychologically safe.  Be mindful also of the impact of screen time and social media use on students’ mental health. More and more studies are showing that anxiety and depression are on the rise for youth who spend a lot of time online. This can be a good place to start asking students and families questions about their daily lives and their emotions.  Recognize that gaining buy-in from students and families for school mental health services may not happen right away. Having multiple conversations and meeting families where they are can go a long way. Some families may prefer to discuss mental health issues with people they trust (e.g., other family members, faith leaders, family doctors) before discussing further with the school.    Talking with families in person is often the most effective way to communicate the value of mental health services in schools. Persuasive conversations are more likely to happen when the outreach is connected to school events and one-on-one meetings with teachers and staff and between parents/guardians. It’s helpful to be prepared to describe what the available services actually are, how they fit into the normal school day, how to access them, and how they connect to children’s well-being and success.  Being thoughtful and compassionate when responding to hesitation from community members goes a long way. You can make a plan to ensure concerns are addressed and invite them to review and contribute to the plan over time. You can offer many opportunities to voice suggestions and concerns, verbally and in writing, and identify and connect community members willing to talk personally with those who have questions.  When done well, expanded school mental health services, with clinicians from community mental health centers joining school employees for the work, barriers to student learning are reduced, and there is a large literature on a number of other benefits, including improved school climate, reduced teacher stress, and improved student SEBMH and academic functioning.   Discuss the range of supports the school currently provides—academic, behavior...integrating positive health and wellness across the tiers facilaites prevention and early intervention for issues of anxiety, depression, etc....issues we all feel at times. Goal—normalizing the need for support.