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Recently, the need for mental health services has become increasingly more apparent in the American Education system. It has been further exacerbated as the Covid 19 pandemic progresses. Yet, even while funding and advocacy have risen, the implementation of services is “nascent” and requires continued work, (Chafouleas et al., 2021). Schools must increase the number of school-based mental health providers as they are the most crucial staff to promoting school safety and a positive school environment.

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A change in policies for mental health will need buy-in from a multitude of stakeholders. Fortunately, the conversation has begun at most levels. Funding such as The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allowed for the expansion of services in schools. Additionally, schools can also pull from Covid Relief funds and Medicare funding. Yet, as some funding exists, these funds are not solely for mental health and in some districts, the funds have been directed towards other needs.

For proper directing of funding, state chief school officers, local school boards, state governors and legislators, district superintendents, and ultimately school administrators need to place mental health as a priority. Teachers, parents, counselors, and students need to advocate and voice their need for additional support to local policymakers to ensure their needs are met. In the grand scheme, teachers, parents, counselors, and students are the ones facing the front line of this battle.

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Additional funding and reallocation of funding to ensure at a minimum school are equipped to meet ASCA's recommended ratio

Transitioning focus from police force presence to school-based health services

Increase in advocacy and awareness that students' basic needs must be met for them to function successfully both socially, emotionally, and academically

Reviewing and revising schedules as well as duties of school counselors to ensure that their job focuses on the students' mental and emotional needs instead of additional tasks around the school such as lunch duty and academic achievement

Ensure all stakeholders are empowered and informed in the area of mental health. Such as building awareness of the problem and how to lobby for increased services.

Further training for school staff so that they may serve as initial identifiers and implement trauma-informed practices

Recognition of secondary trauma acquired by school staff and policies that combat the effects—policies that go beyond self-care

Begin student enacted and peer-led support groups

Research and recognition of previously implemented and effective evidence-based strategies or case studies

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More and more students are needing mental health support, while school counselors lack time and resources to effectively meet the mental health needs of students. There is a high need for more school-based mental health professionals (Whitaker et al., 2019).

In most states there are not nearly enough school counselors to students, while 25% of schools in the United States reported having no mental health counselor on campus at all (Whitaker et al., 2019).  Having school-based clinical mental health counselors (SBCMHC) at schools in addition to school counselors will help to provide support to students in need of mental health services (Christian, 2018).  Also, policy changes can re-direct the focus of school counselors to primarily support the mental health needs of students, and secondly the academic needs.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 22). Data and statistics on children's Mental Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
Christian, D. D., & Brown, C. L. (2018). Recommendations for the Role and Responsibilities of School-Based Mental Health Counselors. Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation, ₁(1), 26-39. https://doi.org/10.25774/nmfk-y245

Lambie, G. W., Stickl Haugen, J., Borland, J. R., & Campbell, L. O. (2019). Who Took “Counseling” out of the Role of Professional School Counselors in the United States? Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation, 1(3),
51-61. https://doi.org/10.25774/7kjb-bt85

Peabody, M.A., Perryman, K. L., Hannah, M., Smith, L., Sanyshyn, S. M. (2018, September). Improving mental health outcomes for young children through the implementation of the primary project. Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation 1(1), Article 7, 40-50. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1264177.pdf

Ross, L., Biswas, B., Halaas, B., Jones, H. (2020). Analysis of a School-Based Behavioral Health Program: Exploring the Value of Mental Health Services for Vulnerable Students. Journal of School Administration Research and
Development, 5(2), 77-85. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1301178.pdf
Sava, Earnshaw, V. A., Menino, D. D., Perrotti, J., & Reisner, S. L. (2021). LGBTQ Student Health: A Mixed‐Methods Study of Unmet Needs in Massachusetts Schools. The Journal of School Health, 91(11), 894–905. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13082

Whitaker, A., Torres-Guillén, S., Morton, M., Jordan, H., Coyle, S., Mann, A., & Sun, W.-L. (2019, February 27). Cops and no counselors. American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/cops-and-no-counselors

youth.gov. (n.d.). School based mental health. School Based Mental Health. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-mental-health/school-based

Zhang, S., Cain, D. S., & Liao, M. (2021). Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Decision Points of Mental Health Service Use and Psychotropic Medication Receipt among Depressed Youth. Youth & Society, 53(4), 610-635. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0044118X19871853

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Yellow states have a ratio of 250:1 or less. Red states range from 251:1 up to the most extreme in Arizona 758:1.

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As it stands, only three states meet the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) recommended student to counselor ratio of 250:1, (Whitaker et al., 2019). Currently, the Center for Mental Health in Schools states between 12 and 22 percent of children ages 2-17 have a mental health disorder, (youth.org, n.d.). Furthermore, districts that have a high number of minority students, Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs impacted students, impoverished families, and students who identify within the LGBTQIA+ community are at a greater risk as these groups experience a disproportionately larger amount of mental health conditions, (Sava et al, 2021; Zhang et al, 2021). A school facing a myriad of these conditions will need more counselors per student.

There is a lack of teacher training in trauma-informed practices along with a misconception that teachers school staff alone can manage the needs of students' mental health. Even when counselors are employed they operate under unideal constraints, asked to take on additional roles and focus on academic achievement rather than the mental and emotional needs of students, (Lambie et at., 2019).

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School-based mental health services are a necessary, effective, and efficient tool for supporting students with mental health issues. Ideally school counselors are employed to address primarily student mental health issues.  However, in recent years the role of the school counselor has been strongly focused on helping students succeed academically.  This has taken away valuable time for school counselors to provide enough mental health services to the students (Lambie, 2019).

Concurrently, some schools have implemented very successful intervention and prevention programs, such as the Primary Project, which includes a school-based social worker in addition to the school counselor (Peabody, 2018).  Another intervention program in Washington state showed that 74.3% of students who used the program showed improved mental health (Ross, 2020).