Most of the programs have been implemented across school districts, while some have been introduced on the state or national level. The second-largest program, called “FRIENDS,” aims to reduce anxiety and to teach skills for managing emotions and coping with stress — not only to children, but also to parents and teachers. The authors estimate that the eight largest programs have reached at least 27 million children over the last decade.
- At Springfield’s Washington Elementary, Asher allocated $137,000 to keep the clinician originally funded by the grant on the school payroll full time.
- They’ll strive to give students lifelong skills that build resilience and promote well-being.
- The Department of Education (DepEd) remains steadfast in promoting transparency, integrity, and accountability by making basic education data accessible to the public which empowers internal and external stakeholders’ participation in improving learning outcomes.
- The data suggest that the mental health crisis in middle school students persists at an alarming rate.
- However, many studies do not provide convincing evidence for the effectiveness of the interventions they examined.
The Department of Education (DepEd) remains steadfast in promoting transparency, integrity, and accountability by making basic education data accessible to the public which empowers internal and external stakeholders’ participation in improving learning outcomes. That is why I believe the School Mental Health Program should be put in place to ensure the mental health promotion and effective linkage to mental services for our learners and personnel,” Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said. What Works in Schools can help ensure that youth have the support they need to be healthy and thrive. The school’s own leadership is being trained to run this program, with the aim of making it sustainable.
Public Health
However, recent actions – such as cuts to the Department of Education, the freezing of $1 billion Health departments and school contact tracing allocated for school-based mental health services, and major reductions to Medicaid – may cause disruptions. Work with school districts on mapping out resources and providing a strategic plan on how to create a school-based mental health program. We need school-based mental health services now more than ever. By working together, we can create comprehensive programs that address prevention, early intervention, and ongoing support for all students. Come prepared with research-backed data on the positive impacts of school mental health programs on academic performance, attendance, and overall student well-being.
Collectively, such studies will yield an enhanced empirical foundation of mental health research that can help schools reach their potential as sustained providers of accessible, culturally appropriate evidence-based interventions for youth across the USA. While recent federal investments will provide schools with support to expand access to mental health interventions, additional research is needed to ensure that culturally appropriate, evidence-based interventions are available and have been optimized for implementation in school settings. In summary, optimized school-based mental health interventions and implementation strategies have the potential to address the vast unmet need for effective and accessible youth mental health prevention, early intervention, and treatment services.
Implementing school-based mental health programs ensures that emotional and behavioral needs are addressed in real-time, within a student’s everyday environment. This article highlights current NIMH priorities in school mental health research and provides additional context for recent federal investments targeting the expansion of school-based mental health infrastructure and interventions. Schools have the potential to address this gap through the provision of evidence-based mental health interventions and services that meet the needs of their diverse student bodies.
Sustained funding and support
Approximately one in every 6 children and adolescents in the USA (US) has a diagnosable mental health condition (Whitney & Peterson, 2019). While telehealth became a more widely used pathway to delivering health care since the pandemic, a growing number of schools were already providing care through telehealth prior to the pandemic. These changes may reflect recent federal efforts to increase the number of school mental health professionals but also the end of federal pandemic-era funds. These disruptions come at a time when approximately 1 in 5 teens are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression and many youth have reported bullying and exposure to violence, which can have adverse effects on their mental health. Ideas for school leaders, teachers, and counselors.Continue Reading Bringing in ideas and activities that promote a sense of wellbeing within your school climate sends a message that everyone’s state of mental health is a priority.
Education
All the above programs had a preventive and treatment approach, with a long-term promotivecomponent woven into some of them. Some e.g.,Gurukulam Project and Our Responsibility to Children (ORC) looked at selective prevention.This review also identified some indicated prevention programs such as the Childlineprogram, Help Desk program, and Jyothirgamaya project. Conduct of SMHP by trained lay counsellors have also been found to be well implemented,like in the ‘Strengthening Evidence-base on scHool-based intErventions for pRomotingadolescent health program’ (SEHER)19 in Bihar, which is a low-cost approach utilising the service of a trained teacher andlay counsellor.