By Ariyana Griffin
AFRO Staff Writer
agriffin@afro.com

Within recent years, there has been an increase in mental health resources and support for K-12 students inside of schools to help provide safe environments that allow the students to thrive academically, mentally and socially. 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “sixty-one percent of public schools reported that the percentage of staff expressing concerns with students exhibiting depression, anxiety, trauma, or emotional dysregulation/disturbance increased, including 23 percent that reported it ‘increased a lot.’”

However, the agency pointed out several barriers that prevent public schools from effectively providing resources to their student body. The obstacles include, “insufficient mental health professional staff coverage to manage caseload (55 percent), inadequate funding (54 percent), and inadequate access to licensed mental health professionals (49 percent).”

Rachel Larson, a licensed clinical professional counselor and individual, group, and family therapist at Baltimore Therapy Group, expressed the importance of youth having access to therapy. 

“There are so many stressors affecting youth, both on an individual level and societal level,” Larson told the AFRO. “Many of these stressors can impact a child’s sense of safety, including exposure to bullying, the COVID pandemic, school violence, and violence against marginalized groups.”

She continued, “These incidents are being broadcast to much larger audiences than in the past, which could be part of why we are seeing so many more children presenting with symptoms of anxiety.”

Therapy can serve as a safe place for children and youth to express themselves, leading to them acquiring better communication skills that can be useful at home and schools as well as gaining proper coping mechanisms.

“Although a child may not have control over their environment, therapy can help empower them to feel a greater sense of control over how they can cope with these stressors,” said Larson.  

She shared that parents and caregivers should be involved with the treatment, if the child is comfortable, in order to be able to support the child by applying the tools provided during the sessions. Larson also expressed the importance of finding a therapist that fits the needs of the child. 

She shared four tips with the AFRO for K-12 youth and parents when it comes to mental health as well as signs to look out for. 

Changes in behavior 

• Changes in a child’s typical patterns of eating, leeping, level of involvement in activities or school performance could be signs of a mental health disorder.

• Check in with your child’s teachers, pediatrician, school counselor, coaches, and most importantly, talk to your child to find out what kind of support he or she needs.

Validate your child’s feelings 

• Communicate with your child that you are listening and understand how they are feeling. This can help strengthen your relationship as well as support emotion regulation 

• Keep in mind: you can validate your child’s feelings without validating their logic. For example, if your child starts crying because you made them a pancake for breakfast instead of a waffle, you could say, “I can see you are disappointed because you didn’t get what you were expecting” and you don’t need to acknowledge any more of the content of their reasoning. 

• Try to avoid dismissive comments such as “get over it,” “calm down,” or “it’s not a big deal” because this can make it more difficult for the child to regulate their feelings. 

Don’t take threats lightly 

• If a child makes a comment about killing or hurting himself, please don’t dismiss it as “attention-seeking.” This child is likely trying to communicate their emotional pain in the only way they know how, and they need help. 

• If you are unsure of how to help your child in a crisis situation, you can call or text 988 to speak with a crisis counselor. Many counties and cities also have local behavioral health teams that can come to your house to help you through a crisis. Also, please lock away and secure any lethal means and make sure your child does not have access.

Look at the whole picture 

• Are they eating a balanced diet? Are they getting enough sleep? Are they getting too much screen time? Are they getting enough time outside? Are they taking medications as prescribed? Are they using substances? Are they experiencing any physical illnesses that need medical attention? Are they getting enough time to unwind after school? 

Baltimore Therapy Group  is hosting six free virtual workshops providing resources and tools for parents and caregivers. Each week the group helps navigate various topics. For more information visit: www.Therapistinbaltimore.com.