Home Education There’s an effective way to guide our students through mental health problems

There’s an effective way to guide our students through mental health problems

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New CDC data out last month revealed that more than 4 in 10 teens report feeling “persistently sad or hopeless.” The data reflects what parents and educators have learned intimately over the last two years: Young people are struggling with mental health. Unfortunately, schools tend to operate on a shoestring, offering a “skeletal” system of mental health services. Some school psychologists and social workers manage caseloads in the thousands.

President Biden promised more funds to address the crisis last month. Even before that, some states and districts had dedicated federal Covid relief dollars to hiring more professionals.

These investments are smart and long overdue. But they may not turn the tide on a crisis that has been unfolding since long before the pandemic began. While trained professionals are key to addressing acute mental health challenges, they are not always best positioned to detect those challenges early; nor do they offer the only way to prevent mental health issues in the first place.

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