This analysis draws upon survey data collected directly from public school administrators via the School Pulse Panel,1 a study by the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Schools may also offer other groups such as social skills groups, groups for young people whose parents are going through separation or divorce, or grief groups. Ask about the resources that exist in your school community. In some situations, utilizing both school and outside resources can be helpful, which means navigating two systems at once. Search on-the-go support for mental wellness, meditation, mood tracking, and more. Learn where to get immediate support when you need someone to talk to now.
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When learners are supported psychologically and emotionally, they are more likely to stay in school, engage in class, build friendships, and thrive in their learning, and in turn, in their lives. Data on the impact of these trainings is unavailable and it is unclear what share of schools provided trainings in the years prior. However, many schools do not offer these screenings often due to a lack of resources or difficulty accessing providers to conduct screenings, burden of collecting and maintaining data, and/or a lack of buy-in from school administrators. 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. However, significant changes to Medicaid, including budget cuts, in the reconciliation bill passed in July 2025 may impact how Medicaid can support school services in the future.
Roles
Our staff services include staff support sessions, guidance and safeguarding support, mental health training and specialist training to senior leaders Our partner schools https://www.aasa.org/resources/resource/building-a-districtwide-safety-net benefit from a dedicated Place2Be mental health professional who’ll be an integral part of your school team. When you become a Place2Be partner school, you’ll benefit from a mixture of mental health and counselling services based on your school’s individual needs. While what a school counselor does can vary, they ultimately work to help students experience positive well-being at school and in their personal lives. School counselors can facilitate this by hosting sessions that encourage students to have an open dialogue in ways that make them feel most comfortable. Sometimes, students just need an outlet to talk to someone, whether it’s a professional or a group of their peers.
Finally, school nurses were observed to most frequently engage in indirect and medication-related mental health services; the provision of direct mental health services and assessment were ranked lowest (Bohnenkamp et al., 2015). While nearly three-quarters of school psychologists reported providing mental health consultation, only a third reported providing direct mental health services. Three additional studies provided insight into the specific mental health responsibilities of three of the four SMH professions (no studies of school social workers were identified). Both studies concluded SMH professionals would prefer to be engaged in more mental health services than they currently are conducting.
Although not the focus of this study, the American Psychological Association (APA) also accredits doctoral-level school psychologists who receive more extended training in mental health intervention, assessment, and research. A thorough understanding of the mental health competencies of SMH professions along with the ways their time is allocated may help guide decisions about how to best allocate tasks to maximize impact on student mental health. Without a clear understanding of the professional mandates and job responsibilities of distinct SMH disciplines, SMH team members are not likely to recognize how their roles can complement the expertise of other providers and disputes or confusion may arise over who should be responsible for certain tasks (Markle et al., 2014). The last feature (i.e., funding) is likely to be implemented by school administrators, while the others are likely to require the support of SMH professionals. SBMHS have incorporated a variety of programs spanning from universal programs that target all students and aim at improving children and youths’ general mental well-being to programs that target specific individuals, either who were at risk for mental ill-health or who experienced mental ill-health.
Looking for help for your kids’ mental health? Try the school counselor
- The purpose of this study is to examine school psychologists’ current involvement in providing MH supports and how they were able to engage in that role through a qualitative phenomenological approach to highlight their individual experiences.
- Indirect services to student groups include consultation, collaboration, and referrals.
- Mental health professionals with master’s degrees or beyond, school counselors both provide counseling and serve an educational role in and around schools.
- School counselors were least likely to use assessments to monitor and promote students’ mental health (Fan et al., 2019).
- Schools must rise to this challenge, recognizing that prioritizing mental health is not optional—it is essential.
- Anyone unconvinced of the prevalence of mental health challenges among students need look no further for confirmation than a recent 10-year study published by the CDC.
Hence, there is an unmet need for mental health services for children and youth. School-based mental health services (SBMHS) are an attempt to increase accessibility to mental health services. And every school has a role to play in promoting and safeguarding mental health and psychosocial well-being. UNESCO is supporting Member States to build resilient education systems that promote mental health for all learners and staff. Teachers are not mental health professionals – but they are key allies in schools.