The Urgent Need for School-Based Interventions to Address Mental Health in the Wake of School Mass Shootings
Written By: Jose Zarate, APCC
In the aftermath of school shootings and the ambiguity of school-related stressors, schools require school-based interventions to assist students in the K-12 school system in recognizing their mental health disorders and developing a willingness to seek behavioral health treatment. According to Whitney & Petersen (2019), 49.4% of children are diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The percentage of children diagnosed with a mental health disorder is concerning, and it will require school-based counselors to provide mental health treatment. However, students continue to be under referred for school-based mental health services (Barksdale et al., 2009; Lyon et al., 2013) and underutilize mental health services, resulting in behavioral problems and lower academic achievement (Turney & Mclanahan, 2015), emphasizing the need for school-based mental literacy.
Mental health literacy is defined as having an understanding and belief about one’s mental health disorder, which then helps in recognition and help seeking behaviors (Jorm et al., 1997). Help seeking can be defined as a positive coping skill to obtain external help to address mental health concerns (Rickwood & Thomas, 2012). Jorm reported several components of mental health literacy in 2000, including the ability to recognize different types of psychological distress as well as knowledge of mental health risk factors, professional help available, and how to locate mental health resources. The components of mental health literacy allow for seamless implementation in schools and an easier method to reach a larger population of students. To date, several studies have revealed the application of school-based mental health literacy programs for students (Kutcher et al., 2016; Perry et al., 2014; Ravindran et al., 2018; Skre et al., 2013; Swartz et al., 2017; Yang et al., 2018) and the efficacy of supporting students' understanding of their mental health disorder and attitude to seek school-based mental health services.
However, there are still barriers for students to seek school-based mental health services. Several studies found barriers to school-based mental health services, including embarrassment, criticism from other students, concerns about school counselors keeping information a secret, and a lack of awareness (Bowers et al., 2013; Ijadi-Maghsoodi et al., 2018; Rickwood et al., 2005). There was limited information in the studies above about whether mental health literacy helped students' perceptions of seeking school-based mental health services. Furthermore, school-based mental literacy is still in its infancy, and there is insufficient evidence to support its claim that students have an increased awareness of their mental disorders and an increased willingness to seek school-based mental health services (Wei et al., 2013).
Here, at Liberate Via Therapy, we can provide education, resources, and therapy to individuals who may not have access to mental health services, especially in the aftermath of school mass shootings and when students have ambiguity about school-related stressors. Liberate Via Therapy can help parents, teachers and staff recognize the symptoms of mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally, Liberate Via Therapy can provide education and resources to help individuals manage stress and build resilience. Liberate Via Therapy can provide immediate support to individuals affected by the shooting by offering virtual therapy sessions to help them process their emotions and develop coping strategies. Finally, Liberate Via Therapy offers low rate pricing to make therapy more affordable, and people can attend therapy sessions in the comfort of their own homes.
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