Mental Health Support

Supporting School Communities with Mental Health Challenges

One way for schools to support students and families facing mental health challenges is by improving the mental health literacy of their staff and students. The more informed teachers, school secretaries, bus drivers, and all staff members who interact with students become, the better they can recognize early signs and symptoms.

It is important for everyone to recognize behaviors that may signal a need for emotional or psychological support and to be knowledgeable about the resources available and the process for referring a student or family to appropriate services and assistance. Creating a nurturing, safe, and respectful school environment where every student feels valued and heard is essential for supporting those with emotional or psychological challenges. When students feel connected, supported, and included in their school community, they have a secure space to grow, regardless of the difficulties they may encounter. For many, school serves as a refuge, and it is our responsibility as adults to cultivate positive relationships and experiences.

CDE Resources

The California Department of Education (CDE) offers resources to support mental health. They include the following:

• Training in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is offered to school and district staff, parent groups, and community partners at no cost. YMHFA is a 6.5-hour interactive training that can be delivered to adults who work or interact with students ages six to eighteen virtually, in person, or in a hybrid setting.
• Monthly webinars addressing topics including support and strengthening of local education agencies (LEA) in youth suicide prevention, intervention and postvention, exchange of effective strategies and insights gained and forming partnerships with community organizations can be accessed on the CDE Facebook page .
• The CDE, San Diego County Office of Education, and LivingWorks are offering the 90-minute interactive LivingWorks Start Online Suicide Prevention Training , available to middle and high school staff and students. This training helps participants identify the signs of depression and suicidal behavior.
• Resilient Practices for Educators, Staff Members, Administrators, and Teams is a seven-part staff well-being webinar series. The other aspect of well-being across our school communities is staff wellness. Recognizing that our staff have also experienced challenges during these tumultuous times is paramount. If staff members are not healthy or don’t feel supported, they are less likely to be able to support students. The CDE partnered with Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to host this series. Recordings can be accessed on the CDE’s Mental Health web page.
• A Trusted Space: Redirecting Grief to Growth is a groundbreaking film-based curriculum created during the height of the pandemic to support our first responders in education. Based on research and neuroscience, the film shares how trusted relationships are the most immediate and potent antidote to the damaging effects of stress and trauma that so many students, families, and teachers—all of us—are navigating.

How the State Is Helping Schools with Mental Health Issues

We have a new generation of students dealing with the loss of loved ones or loss of home or school—our students and staff need mental health support. This is an existing need that has been exacerbated by our times. We are experiencing a shortage of licensed health professionals, in addition to teachers. In order to address the mental health needs of our students, California requires more clinicians. California is the state with the highest number of Behavioral Health Professional Shortage Areas (or BHPSAs)—498 of these areas across the state, affecting nearly 8 million Californians. The BHPSAs disproportionally affect Latinx, African Americans, and Native Americans, as well as individuals living in rural parts of the state.

The 2023–24 California State Budget package includes key investments to meet this need and address shortfalls. The budget increases the Teacher and School Counselor Residency Grant Program per-candidate allocation to the grantee LEA from $25,000 to $40,000 and requires a minimum stipend or salary of $20,000 be provided to residents to better enable them to afford this pathway. It also extends the time frame for residency candidates to complete their service requirements from five years to eight years and allows candidates to fulfill their service requirement by allowing them to teach in schools outside of their sponsoring district. These investments will ensure that we will see more mental health professionals in our schools and joining the workforce to serve our students.

Mental health support is one key part of State Superintendent Tony Thurmond’s Transforming School Initiatives.