Why Schools Need More School-Based Mental Health Services

Emotional and psychological trauma affects so many of our students.  The National Survey of Children's Health reported that 35 million students experience trauma and children of color often experience multiple traumatic events.  We see the effects in classrooms but have difficulty supporting those students because of limited school-based mental health resources.  Few schools have a full-time school psychologist or social worker.  In this article from The Center for American Progress, they described the results of a nationwide analysis of mental health and counseling services in schools.  Nearly every state has limited access to these resources!  Because trauma can contribute to behavior problems and truancy, these students often receive harsh disciplinary measures instead of the mental health intervention they need.  To learn more about the analysis and why we need more school psychologists, social workers, and counselors in our schools, visit

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2016/09/22/144636/counsel-or-criminalize/

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