Reflect and Resolve

The mental health crisis in the world is proving the need for this to be better represented and supported in schools. Especially with the pandemic and young students losing the in-person school experience, a lot of students are feeling sad and unprepared to socialize (Allison, 2022). We need to take a step back and reflect on how this is impacting every student and how this project will demand change to solve this.

With this project, we will all value helping others and being inclusive with our reflections and perspectives for all collaborators. To make this the most effective approach to solving the mental health crisis in schools, everyone’s perspective and ideas will be utilized. Having quality resources in classrooms will prevent mental health issues and provide a treatment that will involve a lot of educating staff, parents, and students (Mental Health Gov, 2022).

Our current need is for many different perspectives to be shared with school officials to get them on board with this project. We will need to spread awareness to mental health agencies to get them on board to provide in-school help. Having a large group of advocates will help us reach the right people and have the support to be effective.

Reflecting on this project gives me hope that together we can stand up and use our vision to change the way mental health is supported in schools. This work and these advocacy efforts won’t stop now and will need to continue until every school has equal and appropriate mental health resources. Please do your part and reach out to school officials to share your perspective and demand change!

References:

For educators. For Educators | MentalHealth.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2022, from

        https://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/educators 

Megan Allison, K. A. T. U. S. (2022, May 3). Schools and health professionals look at

        New Solutions in youth mental health crisis. KATU. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from

        https://katu.com/news/local/schools-and-health-professionals-look-at-new-

        solutions-in-youth-mental-health-crisis

Image source:

Tumiso (2020). Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. 

        Retrieved from: https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2020/05/30/may-

        mental-health-month-while-coronavirus-pandemic-raises-

        anxiety/5220205002/ 

It Takes a Village

Synergy will be an essential tool for us to successfully complete this mission of ensuring mental health resources are being provided in every school. Collaboration between a variety of organizations will help us gather resources and share ideas on how we can most effectively find success with this project. The government has committed extra funds toward mental health, but this doesn’t ensure the staff and resources to fix the problem (Patel, 2021). We need to work together to ensure that this funding is seeing its way to schools and that the proper organizations are being used to support school resources.

Changing the way the education system handles mental health will change schooling to solve problems and improve the world. Fighting for a solution to this issue has brought an increase in funding, but there aren’t enough people employed to solve the crisis (Anderson & Cardoza, 2016). If we can come together, we can gather the needed organizations to get the professionals needed to train and work with school staff members.

To make this a movement instead of just an idea, the collaboration needs to come from a variety of organizations with different perspectives on possible solutions. Even if you aren’t in a related field, spreading awareness of this project could form connections with the right resources to help. Synergy is formed when we can all come together and share ideas to create the best solution for the work that needs to be done. 

In order to fix the issue regarding mental health resources, we will need a village to work towards the solution. We need to ensure that mental health resources are a part of every school, so we need to collaborate with resources to get the best results. Please share this blog with others that you know would provide great support so we can gather a variety of perspectives.

References:

Anderson, M., & Cardoza, K. (2016, August 31). Mental health in schools: A hidden

        crisis affecting millions of students. NPR. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from

        https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/08/31/464727159/mental-health-in-

        schools-a-hidden-crisis-affecting-millions-of-students

Patel, P., Harrison, A., Spotlight, Corcoran, M., & Patel, P. (2021, September 8). 

        How to fix the Mental Health Crisis. New Statesman. from

        https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/2021/03/how-fix-mental-health-crisis

Media Source:

Global Education Monitoring Report Team (2019). Let's work together: education

        has a key role in helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

        Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000369006

Understanding and Being Understood

 

The mental health crisis is affecting individuals across the world and needs a village of people to come together to heal it. The first important step is for us to understand the issue and then we can understand each other and the solution. Mental illness symptoms begin to show in early childhood so if they aren’t given help while they are young, the problems increase with age (School Safety, 2022).

Understanding the mental health issues that our world currently faces comes with many different perspectives. I think we can all agree that more can always be done to help one another and provide support. Many organizations and individuals have put their focus on breaking the stigma, while some put their focus on demanding accessible mental health care.

Though there has been an increase in conversation and support for mental health, these efforts need to be especially brought to schools. Organizations and individuals with influence need to demand this awareness and support is provided to young students and offer their resources to partner with schools. The cost of mental health care is far too much for the severity of the problem and we need to demand these services are accessible and provided in education (Patel, 2021). 

Completing the task of fixing the mental health crisis will be difficult, but starting by providing mental health resources in every school is a giant step. To make this a reality, we need to gather resources and demand a change throughout all schools. Please support my project by sharing with me your perspective on this issue and how you are feeling about this goal.

References:

Mental health. SchoolSafety.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2022, from

        https://www.schoolsafety.gov/mental-health 

Patel, P., Harrison, A., Spotlight, Corcoran, M., & Patel, P. (2021, September 8). 

        How to fix the Mental Health Crisis. New Statesman. from

        https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/2021/03/how-fix-mental-health-crisis 

Image source:

(2020). Understanding Mental Illness. Serendipity Group. 

        https://serendipitygroup.ca/project/understanding-mental-illness/

It's a Win for Mental Health

For everyone to benefit from this project, we will need a win-win mindset and a drive to solve this problem. Mental health awareness and resources provided on school campuses will benefit students, parents, and educators. Young students spend most of their time in school, so having mental health discussions empowers them to get help if needed (Barile, 2021).

With this passion, we value allowing every young student to grow with all the support that is needed. We have the chance to use our values to solve a global issue that impacts all ages and give teachers the training they need to support this goal. This will give students access to understand their emotions and know where and how to seek help at a young age.

To demand mental health awareness and resources on school campuses, we need to consider the people who will need to support this. There is always controversy over what should be discussed in classrooms with young students, so we need to consider the different views that will impact our project. Since mental health impacts all ages, discussing this in class will allow students to understand and teachers to have the tools to support them (Hippe, 2022). Providing training for teachers and identifying problems early on is the best solution to fixing this issue.

If you are passionate about the need for mental health resources, join me in my project to spread awareness and demand resources on school campuses. The mental health crisis impacts people of all ages and needs to be supported at younger ages. What are your thoughts about how this issue is viewed by others? What suggestions do you have to balance other people's views with yours?

References:

Hippe, H., & Hippe, A. H. (2022, March 30). Why mental health should be taught in

        school. Nystrom & Associates. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from

        https://www.nystromcounseling.com/school/why-mental-health-should-be-taught-

        in-school/ 

The importance of mental health awareness in schools. Hey Teach! (2021, September 8).

        Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/importance-

        mental-health-awareness-schools1810.html

Image source:

Albert, S. (2018). The emerging importance of mental health clubs in high schools. Los

        Angeles Times. https://highschool.latimes.com/orange-county-school-of-the-

        arts/the-emerging-importance-of-mental-health-clubs-in-high-schools/

Local Support is Essential

First things first, in order to break the stigma and ensure mental health resources are being provided in schools, we need to work on gathering local resources. According to the NAMI website, “Undiagnosed, untreated or inadequately treated mental illnesses can significantly interfere with a student’s ability to learn, grow and develop,” (NAMI, n.d.). In order for schools to address this issue across all schools, we need to start with our local schools and start the movement.

The hope that children succeed within school goes beyond just recording academic achievements. Mental health is impacting the way students succeed in and outside of school and we need to do something about this. We want every student to have equal opportunity and the support they require to be the best they can be.

In order to start this movement and create change in our community, we need to put our top priority first and create a managed plan. We need to create a plan for our school district that we can present to school officials to approve and start at our schools. The first step is acknowledging that outside resources are needed because teachers can’t handle them on their own (Anderson & Cardoza, 2016). Collaborating with outside mental health organizations can provide us with the training that is needed for teachers.

I am working to spread awareness and ensure mental health resources are provided in every school. This would help support young students' development and bring a solution to the issue of mental health impacting so many young students. Starting with the local community, I am asking that you respond with one thing you think could help with getting resources onto campuses.

References:

Anderson, M., & Cardoza, K. (2016, August 31). Mental health in schools: A hidden

        crisis affecting millions of students. NPR. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from

        https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/08/31/464727159/mental-health-in-schools-

         a-hidden-crisis-affecting-millions-of-students 

Mental health in schools. NAMI. (n.d.). from https://nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-

    Priorities/Improving-Health/Mental-Health-in-Schools

Image source:

Walker (2018). Are Schools Ready to Tackle the Mental Health Crisis?. NeaToday. Retrieved from https://www.nea.org/.

How We Can Start a Movement

Mental health is growing to be a more commonly discussed topic which is bringing up the realization that we need help in handling this issue. As stated on Mills, “Unfortunately, even as rising numbers of students need help dealing with mental health issues, few educators have the specialized training needed to provide that help,” (Mills, 2020). To support students' success and provide them the best opportunity for growth, schools need to be spreading awareness, provide training for teachers and staff, and provide resources on campus. We need to help make this a requirement across the country to handle the mental health crisis.

Successfully working with students requires people who care about assisting them with positive development and taking responsibility for the power they have to help. We all know that young children’s brains are growing and the adults in their lives can have a major impact on this development. so we value the tools that are being given. According to research, “Collaboration among all school staff is important for the effective implementation of SBMH services,” (Ormiston et. al, 2021, p. 2150). Our goal of school-based mental health will take all of us being on the same page and expecting the same progress with our approach. 

To accomplish this task we will first join forces and locate the proper resources we will need. We will need to develop a vision and goal and work together to present this plan to schools as soon as possible. As stated on the NAMI website, “School-based and school-linked mental health services reduce barriers to youth and families getting needed treatment and supports, especially for communities of color and other underserved communities,” (NAMI, n.d.). We will need to reach out to our communities for support with this work and push towards making this common.

We have a chance to save lives and change the world. I am working on spreading awareness of the need for mental health resources provided in all schools. As a group of people working with schools, we need to spread the word and get school officials on board with helping this project get moving. If you are interested in helping with this essential change, comment on my blog and let me know what support you can offer!

References:

Mental health in schools. NAMI. (n.d.). from https://nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-

        Priorities/Improving-Health/Mental-Health-in-Schools 

Online education graduate program: Mills College School of Education. Online 
        Education Graduate Program | Mills College School of Education. (n.d.). from

       https://online.mills.edu/ 

Ormiston, Nygaard, M. A., Heck, O. C., Wood, M., Rodriguez, N., Maze, M., Asomani‐

        Adem, A. A., Ingmire, K., Burgess, B., & Shriberg, D. (2021). Educator perspectives on 

        mental health resources and practices in their school. Psychology in the Schools, 58(11), 

        2148–2174. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22582

Media Source:

(2016). A silent epidemic. NPR. Retrieved from http://apps.npr.org/mental-health/.

How can we ensure mental health is a topic in classrooms and that resources are being provided to each student, inside and outside of school?

In the US, 1 in 6 children has a mental health condition, and only half receive mental health services (NAMI Organization, n.d.); for this reason, schools should be required to have easily accessible mental health resources in school for all ages. Schools currently don't require teacher training or professional resources on campuses. This topic isn't prevalent in classrooms so young people often don't feel safe or comfortable reaching out for the help they need. This blog is dedicated to advocating for an increase in awareness and mental health resources being provided by schools.

References:

Mental health in schools. NAMI. (n.d.). from

            https://nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-Priorities/Improving-Health/Mental-

            Health-in-Schools 

 

Image Source:

(2018). NAESP. https://www.naesp.org/advocacy/issue-areas/mental-health-school-safety/