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/