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New Product Helps School Districts, Buildings and Educators Find Resources to Prepare Educators to Support Student Mental Health
Students Face Multiple Mental Health Challenges
- 1 in 5 U.S. children meet criteria for a diagnosable mental health disorder (Child Mind Institute, 2015)
- 50% of mental disorders begin before age 14, 70% before age 18 (WHO, 2019)
- The average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years (NAMI, 2019)
- 17.2% of students nationwide reported seriously considering attempting suicide (CDC, 2017)
Educators Can Positively Affect Students’ Mental Health
- Students with good emotion regulation skills perform better in school and are at less risk of mental health symptoms (Project CoVitality, 2020)
- Students who participate in social emotional learning programs improve academic performance by 11–17 percentile points (Durlak et al., 2011)
- Early identification and intervention of mental health concerns can vastly improve school and life outcomes for students (Mental Health America, 2016)
Educators and school personnel play vital roles in promoting mental health and well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents.
Educator Roles in Supporting Student Mental Health
- Build relationships with students
- Create safe, supportive, and welcoming classroom environments
- Promote positive behaviors and teach social-emotional skills
- Act as gatekeepers by identifying and referring students in need of mental health services
- Use strategies to help support students with mental health concerns in the classroom
- Collaborate with school and community mental health professionals
(Andrews, McCabe, & Wideman-Johnston, 2014; Ekornes, 2017; Froese-Germain & Riel, 2012; Graham et al., 2011; Kidger et al., 2010; Knightsmith et al., 2013; Koller & Bertel, 2006; Phillippo & Kelly, 2014; Reinke et al., 2011; Rothi et al., 2008)
While educators across the country are actively involved in supporting student mental health, they often have not been trained to do so, and may feel hesitant or not well supported, which can contribute to stress and burnout. Educators report the following professional development needs related to supporting student mental health:
Given the critical need to equip educators to support student mental health in schools, the MHTTC Network and the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine conducted an environmental scan with educators, state education and mental health staff, and national school mental health experts to identify existing educational and training resources focused on mental health literacy for educators.
Each resource was assessed for cost, modality (online or in-person; length), target student grade level, availability of continuing education credits, and breadth of mental health literacy components covered.
Most of the educational and training resources identified were aimed at promoting positive mental health and increasing mental health knowledge. Trainings to support students with mental health concerns and reduce stigma were less frequent, with almost no resources specifically designed to address mental health through a cultural lens. We also identified practical barriers to accessing resources, as many are costly and few offer continuing education credit.
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