Children's mental health and the pandemic

[Anonymous]

One of the issues facing this is that mental health treatment is long and expensive. Weekly or even twice weekly appointments for months on end is incredibly costly, which is why I assume insurance doesn't want to cover it.

Even something like physcial therapy is relatively short term -- a month or two --but pyschotherapy can be years. Anything that is expensive is balked at by insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

Stop expecting schools to replace parents. Mental health is not a school issue and parents need to get their kids treatmen.

OP here. It's interesting you think a child's teacher has no role in supporting their students' mental health. It doesn't mean they provide therapy, it does mean that when they interact with the child they can do so knowing what will help them progress. I agree, we need to do a better job of helping our society's most vulnerable and not rely on teachers to provide therapy, but this idea that teachers can't even bother to think about how to meet children's needs if those needs go beyond a typically developing child with no disabilities, well all I can say is thankfully my child's teacher does not view her job that way.

NP here. It's one thing to train teachers to look for signs of mental health issues and another thing altogether to expect them to treat them. If we expect schools to provide mental health services, it needs to be a separate army of staff who are trained and focused to do only that.

+1

I am a teacher and am trained to recognize signs of mental health concerns, signs of abuse, etc. I can’t treat or respond to any of those issues besides speaking kindly or checking in with a kid and referring them to the appropriate support staff or team. But we currently have one very overburdened school psychologist at our school and that’s it. I’m not sure how she could handle all of the mental health issues our students are facing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

Stop expecting schools to replace parents. Mental health is not a school issue and parents need to get their kids treatmen.

OP here. It's interesting you think a child's teacher has no role in supporting their students' mental health. It doesn't mean they provide therapy, it does mean that when they interact with the child they can do so knowing what will help them progress. I agree, we need to do a better job of helping our society's most vulnerable and not rely on teachers to provide therapy, but this idea that teachers can't even bother to think about how to meet children's needs if those needs go beyond a typically developing child with no disabilities, well all I can say is thankfully my child's teacher does not view her job that way.

NP here. It's one thing to train teachers to look for signs of mental health issues and another thing altogether to expect them to treat them. If we expect schools to provide mental health services, it needs to be a separate army of staff who are trained and focused to do only that.

Mental health "treatment" is complex and you often have to take a holistic approach. An anxious person might need to be exposed slowly to the things they are anxious about, which might be something like speaking in class. Especially for a younger child the teacher needs to be involved and trained to deal with it appropriately. It is not just about "identifying" the issue. It might be part of their IEP or 504 plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

Stop expecting schools to replace parents. Mental health is not a school issue and parents need to get their kids treatmen.

OP here. It's interesting you think a child's teacher has no role in supporting their students' mental health. It doesn't mean they provide therapy, it does mean that when they interact with the child they can do so knowing what will help them progress. I agree, we need to do a better job of helping our society's most vulnerable and not rely on teachers to provide therapy, but this idea that teachers can't even bother to think about how to meet children's needs if those needs go beyond a typically developing child with no disabilities, well all I can say is thankfully my child's teacher does not view her job that way.

NP here. It's one thing to train teachers to look for signs of mental health issues and another thing altogether to expect them to treat them. If we expect schools to provide mental health services, it needs to be a separate army of staff who are trained and focused to do only that.

+1

I am a teacher and am trained to recognize signs of mental health concerns, signs of abuse, etc. I can’t treat or respond to any of those issues besides speaking kindly or checking in with a kid and referring them to the appropriate support staff or team. But we currently have one very overburdened school psychologist at our school and that’s it. I’m not sure how she could handle all of the mental health issues our students are facing.

Yeah, that's what I thought of when I heard "teacher training." And actually this is sort of what parents need too. Parents cannot be therapists; they need to be aware of the signs of their kid needing therapy and get it for them. MUCH easier said than done, obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

Stop expecting schools to replace parents. Mental health is not a school issue and parents need to get their kids treatmen.

OP here. It's interesting you think a child's teacher has no role in supporting their students' mental health. It doesn't mean they provide therapy, it does mean that when they interact with the child they can do so knowing what will help them progress. I agree, we need to do a better job of helping our society's most vulnerable and not rely on teachers to provide therapy, but this idea that teachers can't even bother to think about how to meet children's needs if those needs go beyond a typically developing child with no disabilities, well all I can say is thankfully my child's teacher does not view her job that way.

NP here. It's one thing to train teachers to look for signs of mental health issues and another thing altogether to expect them to treat them. If we expect schools to provide mental health services, it needs to be a separate army of staff who are trained and focused to do only that.

+1

I am a teacher and am trained to recognize signs of mental health concerns, signs of abuse, etc. I can’t treat or respond to any of those issues besides speaking kindly or checking in with a kid and referring them to the appropriate support staff or team. But we currently have one very overburdened school psychologist at our school and that’s it. I’m not sure how she could handle all of the mental health issues our students are facing.

Yeah, that's what I thought of when I heard "teacher training." And actually this is sort of what parents need too. Parents cannot be therapists; they need to be aware of the signs of their kid needing therapy and get it for them. MUCH easier said than done, obviously.

As a parent of a child with mental illness I absolutely have to participate in my child's treatment and her teacher does too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

Stop expecting schools to replace parents. Mental health is not a school issue and parents need to get their kids treatmen.

OP here. It's interesting you think a child's teacher has no role in supporting their students' mental health. It doesn't mean they provide therapy, it does mean that when they interact with the child they can do so knowing what will help them progress. I agree, we need to do a better job of helping our society's most vulnerable and not rely on teachers to provide therapy, but this idea that teachers can't even bother to think about how to meet children's needs if those needs go beyond a typically developing child with no disabilities, well all I can say is thankfully my child's teacher does not view her job that way.

NP here. It's one thing to train teachers to look for signs of mental health issues and another thing altogether to expect them to treat them. If we expect schools to provide mental health services, it needs to be a separate army of staff who are trained and focused to do only that.

+1

I am a teacher and am trained to recognize signs of mental health concerns, signs of abuse, etc. I can’t treat or respond to any of those issues besides speaking kindly or checking in with a kid and referring them to the appropriate support staff or team. But we currently have one very overburdened school psychologist at our school and that’s it. I’m not sure how she could handle all of the mental health issues our students are facing.

Yeah, that's what I thought of when I heard "teacher training." And actually this is sort of what parents need too. Parents cannot be therapists; they need to be aware of the signs of their kid needing therapy and get it for them. MUCH easier said than done, obviously.

As a parent of a child with mental illness I absolutely have to participate in my child's treatment and her teacher does too.

Well as a parent of a child with mental illness I was told that I cannot try to be my child's therapist and I should focus on a few specific parenting skills instead. Participating in your child's treatment doesn't mean you or a teacher gets trained in therapy, which was implied in a prior comment.

[Anonymous]

NP. My child's mental health was harmed by the pandemic, as was that of DH and myself. Closing schools was very detrimental and reopening schools was very beneficial.

But I don't think that school counselors or therapists or psychiatrists are what is needed for children's mental health crises. I think the pandemic was a magnifier for the mental health crises that children already had before the pandemic - and I think the blame and the solution is in social media, screens, and the breakdown of culture in person. Meeting up at Starbucks or the park or local hang-out is healthy - texting is not, at the core of the issue. I think that parents and kids can be the solution, and I think that parents and kids need to be the solution.

JMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. My child's mental health was harmed by the pandemic, as was that of DH and myself. Closing schools was very detrimental and reopening schools was very beneficial.

But I don't think that school counselors or therapists or psychiatrists are what is needed for children's mental health crises. I think the pandemic was a magnifier for the mental health crises that children already had before the pandemic - and I think the blame and the solution is in social media, screens, and the breakdown of culture in person. Meeting up at Starbucks or the park or local hang-out is healthy - texting is not, at the core of the issue. I think that parents and kids can be the solution, and I think that parents and kids need to be the solution.

JMO.

^^^ And the high-pressure academic race-to-nowhere, which is caused by parents real-or-perceived zero-sum view of the future. Maybe the Great Resignation will help with that, maybe not. Maybe the imminent upheaval caused by climate change, war, etc. will help with that. Maybe not.

There are real reasons for children's mental health crises but, as I said, I don't think that psychiatrists or psychologists are the answer. IMHO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

OP here. Thankfully, my child's teacher is willing to get trained, because my child can't progress without support from the person she is with for hours every day.

OP that is not realistic or appropriate or fair. Do you have any concept whatsoever of what you are asking? Teachers are already OVERLOADED just managing the classroom as a whole while trying to actually teach subjects, get the kids to the point where they understand things and can perform well on testing,and so on.

Teachers are not paid enough to teach, given that they have to supply their own materials and work way more than 40 hours a week. And now they should train for your anxious child to do well because otherwise she canr progress? I have an anxious child with ADHD and other issues, who I am sending back to school after homeschooling and I have absolutely NO expectation that her teachers will do anything special for her. If she struggles, all I will ask of them is to tell me what they are seeing and I will handle the rest and keep on top of it.

In a perfect world OF COURSE teachers would have just enough training to recognize certain things and be able to support the efforts of the professionals actually in charge of a childs care. But many of them already do this WITHOUT special training. Its called experience.

I get that you want what you want, and there is nothing wrong with wanting it, but its just super unrealistic given that we have kids with issues like learning disabilities or they have fallen behind. Teachers are going to have a mess on their hands for some time to come.

That being said, Mental Health FIrst Aid is a pretty good limited training program that should be provided to all teachers for free. It may in fact already be. I dont know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

Stop expecting schools to replace parents. Mental health is not a school issue and parents need to get their kids treatmen.

OP here. It's interesting you think a child's teacher has no role in supporting their students' mental health. It doesn't mean they provide therapy, it does mean that when they interact with the child they can do so knowing what will help them progress. I agree, we need to do a better job of helping our society's most vulnerable and not rely on teachers to provide therapy, but this idea that teachers can't even bother to think about how to meet children's needs if those needs go beyond a typically developing child with no disabilities, well all I can say is thankfully my child's teacher does not view her job that way.

NP here. It's one thing to train teachers to look for signs of mental health issues and another thing altogether to expect them to treat them. If we expect schools to provide mental health services, it needs to be a separate army of staff who are trained and focused to do only that.

Homeschooler here. Then be prepared to do it yourself when you encounter a teacher who does not fit your view of her job. Which is only a matter of time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But more than that, we need investment in mental health care in a way we have never done before, not during the pandemic or before the pandemic. I really like the idea of giving better training to PCPs, school counselors, teachers and also training parents, that's such an important piece.

IMO it's not that we need to train counselors and teachers--we see the mental health problems, but we are not qualified to treat long-standing issues. What is needed is more counselors, social workers, and therapists in the school buildings to provide the support that we already know students need but can't offer because of a lack of personnel.

OP here. Thankfully, my child's teacher is willing to get trained, because my child can't progress without support from the person she is with for hours every day.

OP that is not realistic or appropriate or fair. Do you have any concept whatsoever of what you are asking? Teachers are already OVERLOADED just managing the classroom as a whole while trying to actually teach subjects, get the kids to the point where they understand things and can perform well on testing,and so on.

Teachers are not paid enough to teach, given that they have to supply their own materials and work way more than 40 hours a week. And now they should train for your anxious child to do well because otherwise she canr progress? I have an anxious child with ADHD and other issues, who I am sending back to school after homeschooling and I have absolutely NO expectation that her teachers will do anything special for her. If she struggles, all I will ask of them is to tell me what they are seeing and I will handle the rest and keep on top of it.

In a perfect world OF COURSE teachers would have just enough training to recognize certain things and be able to support the efforts of the professionals actually in charge of a childs care. But many of them already do this WITHOUT special training. Its called experience.

I get that you want what you want, and there is nothing wrong with wanting it, but its just super unrealistic given that we have kids with issues like learning disabilities or they have fallen behind. Teachers are going to have a mess on their hands for some time to come.

That being said, Mental Health FIrst Aid is a pretty good limited training program that should be provided to all teachers for free. It may in fact already be. I dont know.

Are you saying mental illness does not impact learning or warrant accommodations? That seems to reflect a bias on your part.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thankfully, my child's teacher is willing to get trained, because my child can't progress without support from the person she is with for hours every day.

Trained in what? As an educator, I have advanced training in my content area and in the practice of teaching. Additionally, I have undergone about 8 hours of training in trauma-sensitive practices, and two hours annually on identifying and properly referring students to the appropriate professional for mental health crises. I am of course empathetic and provide lots of encouragement and accommodations to my students who seem to need extra care with their mental health struggled (which I am often not privy to due to co7but am expected to read from their behavior). What additional training has your child’s teacher had that you think I need and am unwilling to get?

[Anonymous]

^not privy to due to counselor confidentiality.

[Anonymous]

We need smaller class sizes and smaller schools then as teachers we can meet academic and emotional issues. As an educator of 30+ years who works with small groups I'm able to help students much more than a teacher with 28/30 kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. Thankfully, my child's teacher is willing to get trained, because my child can't progress without support from the person she is with for hours every day.

Trained in what? As an educator, I have advanced training in my content area and in the practice of teaching. Additionally, I have undergone about 8 hours of training in trauma-sensitive practices, and two hours annually on identifying and properly referring students to the appropriate professional for mental health crises. I am of course empathetic and provide lots of encouragement and accommodations to my students who seem to need extra care with their mental health struggled (which I am often not privy to due to co7but am expected to read from their behavior). What additional training has your child’s teacher had that you think I need and am unwilling to get?

If you are the pp I responded to, you're the one who said it's not your job to learn how to help a child with mental illness.

The training is specific to her condition. Her weekly sessions with the therapist can only go so far, she needs reinforcement on a daily basis. It's actually not complicated to learn and certainly doesn't require 8 hours of training. But the training is absolutely essential. The alternative is my child remains severely impaired, so I do not have a choice about wherher to ask the teacher to do this.