Posted on Sep 2, 2022
With kids back in school, educators brace to help with ongoing mental health troubles
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/09/02/ [login to see] /with-kids-back-in-school-educators-brace-to-help-with-ongoing-mental-health-trou
As the new school year begins, teachers at many schools across the country are adding a new component to their routines: a mental health check-in with their students. The idea is to open up conversations around how kids are feeling emotionally, and to connect them to help before issues escalate to a crisis.
"I've been really impressed with the proactive position that school systems have taken," says Dr. Tami Benton, psychiatrist-in-chief at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Many schools that Benton works with are spending less time focusing on academics in the first few weeks of the school year, and more time checking in on kids' mental health and school readiness. "They're actually starting to develop their own approaches to assessing the social-emotional development status of kids," she says.
The new approach comes after two and a half rocky years of pandemic, with kids' lives disrupted by bouts of remote schooling and many families in economic stress, which worsened the already shaky state of children's mental health in the U.S.
As the new school year begins, teachers at many schools across the country are adding a new component to their routines: a mental health check-in with their students. The idea is to open up conversations around how kids are feeling emotionally, and to connect them to help before issues escalate to a crisis.
"I've been really impressed with the proactive position that school systems have taken," says Dr. Tami Benton, psychiatrist-in-chief at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Many schools that Benton works with are spending less time focusing on academics in the first few weeks of the school year, and more time checking in on kids' mental health and school readiness. "They're actually starting to develop their own approaches to assessing the social-emotional development status of kids," she says.
The new approach comes after two and a half rocky years of pandemic, with kids' lives disrupted by bouts of remote schooling and many families in economic stress, which worsened the already shaky state of children's mental health in the U.S.
With kids back in school, educators brace to help with ongoing mental health troubles
Posted from npr.org
Children
Schools
Education
Learning
Mental Health
Posted >1 y ago
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These issues need to be addressed early before the problems become so ingrained that there "seems" like there is no progress possible. The staffing has to be increased to handle this
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Tapping into new funding
But schools also need additional resources to connect kids who are struggling to mental health care.
"We've just heard from more and more teachers that they're really struggling to meet the mental health needs of kids in the school setting," says Benton.
The recent influx of federal dollars to provide school based mental health care has certainly helped, she adds.
Mullaney says he was able to hire more behavioral and mental health professionals in the past year to address growing needs of his students. But he knows many school districts who are still struggling to attract new staff.
Today, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced additional $87 million in grant funding to address youth mental health, including for school-based mental health.
However, school districts around the country are just starting to tap into some of these recent funding. "I think it's going to take a while before we see implementation and change related to those things," says Benton.
But she is hopeful that this national attention, the bipartisan support in Congress in addressing youth mental health, and the more open conversations on the topic will start to help kids most in need.
"People are involved, people are engaged, new projects are happening," says Benton. "People are experimenting with new methods for providing care. More young people have become involved as advocates in their own mental health care. So I think all of the activity has really made a difference in supporting children's mental health."
..."Tapping into new funding
But schools also need additional resources to connect kids who are struggling to mental health care.
"We've just heard from more and more teachers that they're really struggling to meet the mental health needs of kids in the school setting," says Benton.
The recent influx of federal dollars to provide school based mental health care has certainly helped, she adds.
Mullaney says he was able to hire more behavioral and mental health professionals in the past year to address growing needs of his students. But he knows many school districts who are still struggling to attract new staff.
Today, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced additional $87 million in grant funding to address youth mental health, including for school-based mental health.
However, school districts around the country are just starting to tap into some of these recent funding. "I think it's going to take a while before we see implementation and change related to those things," says Benton.
But she is hopeful that this national attention, the bipartisan support in Congress in addressing youth mental health, and the more open conversations on the topic will start to help kids most in need.
"People are involved, people are engaged, new projects are happening," says Benton. "People are experimenting with new methods for providing care. More young people have become involved as advocates in their own mental health care. So I think all of the activity has really made a difference in supporting children's mental health."
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