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Mental Health Awareness Post




Are Schools Ready to Tackle the Mental Health Crisis? (Walker, 2018)

Revisiting this pre-pandemic article with a post-pandemic lens highlights the urgency of an intentional approach to mental health in schools. The past two years have been full of immeasurable loss, trauma, and grief for students, families, and communities nationwide. What was described as a mental health “crisis” prior to the pandemic can only be considered an emergency as we navigate our new reality. This article’s emphasis on proactive, sustaining support frameworks and partnerships between teachers, mental health providers, community, and family members inspires us to consider the possibilities for schools and districts in the coming months. Now that we have borne witness to the destructive potential of the gaps in our social safety nets, we have a unique chance to re-envision our schools. We envision schools that provide proactive, systematic mental health support for all students, and leverage the collective wisdom of families, communities, and mental health providers to maximize outcomes for all. This article offers inspiring and concrete strategies for making this vision a reality.


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