School is the building foundation of education. A child learns a lot more than just science and math. Every individual is exposed to many life and societal lessons throughout their time at school. One very important aspect that is very often lost in school education systems is mental health awareness and support.
Mental Health at Schools
In our community at the moment, mental health awareness is not spread the way that it should be. Individuals are often forced to learn about mental health and what it entails on their own, which leads to many misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding many aspects of mental health and mental disorders.
Children are not taught from a young age what it means to take care of their mental health. Oftentimes as well, professional counselors are not available at schools when they really should be in order to provide proper support for children in times of need, especially given that school stress is a very common theme in the education system.
The Importance of Mental Health Support in Schools
Teachers and other school staff are individuals that children are most likely more exposed to than they are to their parents. Hence, it is extremely crucial that these educators are aware of mental health issues and are able to spread that awareness to the students in order to provide them with the proper base they need to care for their own mental well-being throughout their lives.
It is especially very important in order for them to be able to see the signs of a struggling student as that may increase their chances of getting the proper help they need when they need it the most before it is too late. Early intervention could oftentimes result in very positive outcomes when it comes to mental health care.
The following are some suggestions –
- Integrating support services to all grade levels
- Assessing mental health of students through targeted interventions
- Providing access to mental health services and programs
- Building a community between the school and the families of students