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Tag: students and mental health

  • Texas College Aims To Help Every Student With Mental Health, Trauma

    Texas College Aims To Help Every Student With Mental Health, Trauma

    Paul Quinn College is taking a progressive approach to mental health that leaves no student behind. 

    With stress, anxiety and depression a common struggle among college students, there is more focus now on mental health in higher education than ever before. Now Paul Quinn College in Texas is working hard to make sure that their students have their mental health needs covered.

    As Dallas News reports, every student who comes into Paul Quinn College is encouraged to meet with a counselor for a mental health assessment, and the school has a free mental health clinic that students can visit as well.

    Dr. Stacia Alexander is the director of Paul Quinn’s mental health clinic, and she tells new students at the school, “We’re here for you. For whatever feelings you struggle with—with whatever you hide from everybody else that you think means nothing, that you think makes you out of your mind. We are here to talk to you about these feelings.”

    Setting Students Up For Success

    Paul Quinn College often takes in a lot of students who come from underprivileged backgrounds and are trying to find their place in the world. Several years back, the school’s president, Michael Sorrell, tried to figure out why the school’s graduation rate was so low. “It took us a while to understand that that was a product of trauma,” Sorrell says.

    The first years of college can be especially stressful. You’re on your own for the first time, you want to succeed, and it can be hard to balance your scholastic, professional and personal workload.

    Dr. Jessica Moore, a mental health professional who works at Paul Quinn, recalled that the subject of mental health didn’t come up much when she was in college. But today, “the students are good at letting us know the things that they need. They are quick to say, ‘OK, we need to talk about trauma or peer relationships or stress management.’ And then we all work on an event or program to address that.”

    Dr. Alexander has freely given out her cell phone number for students to reach out and contact her, and with this new openness about mental health at Paul Quinn, her phone has been buzzing frequently from students looking for help.

    “The thing we’re trying to get students to understand is that [their] traumas are real. And they do impair or affect how you process daily information. And if you continue to ignore that, you’re going to continue to be impaired and not reach your full potential.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Why Do Schools Have More Police On Campus Than Mental Health Staff?

    Why Do Schools Have More Police On Campus Than Mental Health Staff?

    On average, schools had just 1 counselor per 444 students, according to a report from the ACLU.

    In schools across the nation, students are more likely to see police officers than nurses or counselors, according to a new report.

    In fact, a third of public school students are enrolled in schools with a police officer but without a counselor, nurse, psychologist or social worker. 

    Using data form the U.S. Department of Education, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) compiled a report, “Cops and No Counselors: How the Lack of School Mental Health Staff is Harming Students.”

    The ACLU found that mental health access is sparse in schools, as more funding is directed toward police and other security. 

    The report points out that the suicide rate among teens increased 70% between 2006 and 2016, and school is often the first and more accessible option for teens who need help. 

    “Today’s school children are experiencing record levels of depression and anxiety, alongside multiple forms of trauma,” the report reads. “School counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists are frequently the first to see children who are sick, stressed, traumatized, may act out, or may hurt themselves or others. This is especially true in low-income districts where other resources are scarce. Students are 21 times more likely to visit school-based health centers for treatment than anywhere else.”

    Schools with adequate mental health care see improved attendance, better graduation rates and fewer disciplinary problems, the reported noted.

    Yet, on average, schools had just 1 counselor per 444 students—something Eric Sparks, assistant director of the American School Counselor Association, says is absurd. 

    “It’s physically impossible for them to have an impact on students with developmental needs,” he said. “We have many schools where students don’t have access to a school counselor and some schools don’t have a school counselor.”

    On the other hand, the presence of police can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, the report authors argue. 

    “Schools are under-resourced and students are overcriminalized,” report authors wrote. 

    However, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, Mo Canady, told CNN that tying the issue of police presence and lack of counselors together is a false comparison. 

    ”It doesn’t need to be one or the other, we need counselors and mental health specialists,” said Canady.

    “We definitely need specifically trained [school resource officers] to stand shoulder-to shoulder with mental health specialists. We need folks in there who are not afraid to be vulnerable and engage with students, listen to their concerns and just be real with them.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Students Take Action To Get Mental Health Resources

    Students Take Action To Get Mental Health Resources

    Students in need of mental health resources formed a group to solve the issue for themselves and their peers.

    When a 15-year-old girl in England reached out for mental health assistance and was placed on a waiting list, she and her friends decided to take matters into their own hands. 

    According to The Guardian, Molly Robinson had been battling unexplained pain and worry over what was causing it, creating overwhelming feelings of anxiety. It eventually got to the point where she couldn’t even go to school. 

    So, Robinson and some friends decided to create a group called We Will, to focus on gaining understanding and support for adolescents struggling with mental health. 

    The seven members say aspects, such as the push to do well academically and the pressures of social media, play into their mental health. 

    “It’s very different being a teenager now,” Chloe Wilson, 17, tells The Guardian. “Especially parents; they want their child to be fine. They’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s just hormones.’”

    Jasmine Dean, 17, adds that she has heard a friend talk about suicide and wonders why the lack of mental health resources is justifiable. “How is being in crisis with a mental health issue any different from being in crisis with a physical issue?” Dean said.

    Because the students knew they would need assistance, they reached out to Kate Whitmarsh, who serves as a development worker at Ewanrigg Big Local. Ewanrigg Big Local is community group with “a mandate to grow grassroots initiatives proposed by anyone resident in the area,” according to The Guardian.

    Whitmarsh says that in the area, child poverty rates have climbed, public services and work opportunities are limited, and the statistics regarding health are not positive.

    “It’s tough growing up here on the western edge of Cumbria,” says Whitmarsh. “This isn’t the affluent Lake District: lots of young people live in rural deprivation.”

    Whitmarsh has helped the group in their efforts to create their own video, speak to local businesses about putting out mental health awareness posters, speak to the media, and reach out to leadership in their schools. 

    The students also encouraged 80 students and staff members at their school to participate in a mental health first aid class that covered recognizing a person in emotional pain, but also realizing they are not responsible for solving someone else’s problems. 

    Going forward, the school plans to offer the same course to governors and parents of students, which could be a significant financial investment according to The Guardian.  

    “My argument is: how can we afford not to?” assistant head Steve Milledge tells The Guardian. “Thresholds for Camhs (child and adolescent mental health services) are getting higher. There’s been an increase in the number of children talking about suicide. Without a counsellor, there are children who wouldn’t be able to be in school. A culture of listening and being listened to is really important in people feeling well and healthy.”

    View the original article at thefix.com