Support Connecticut’s school-based mental health centers
When I was in high school in the 90’s, I didn’t know what mental health was. no one talked about it. When I started exhibiting strange behavior at this age, I had no words to describe it and my parents had to leave campus to seek help.
There are many children and teenagers today who, like me, experience mood and behavior changes and have no place to talk about it. is. Children feel vulnerable to these issues and need a safe, confidential space to vent their thoughts. The National Center for School Mental Health estimates that 12-22% of her children and adolescents have or will develop a diagnosable mental health condition.
School-based mental health centers should be funded and celebrated as safe places to work on mental health problems.
I understand the objections about the cost of these centers and the parents who do not want their children and teens exposed to important racial theory and gender research. should be bipartisan and not centered around a particular belief.
Mental health centers can save lives, prevent violence in schools, and provide a space for children and teens to share what’s going on without being shy.
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study shows that teens are more comfortable accessing health-based services through a school-based clinic in one location. The benefits of such clinics in schools help build social skills, leadership, self-awareness, and caring connections with adults and the school community. also improve.
In rural and urban school districts, mental health services often change quickly, requiring students to travel at least an hour to get out of mental health care. Many families cannot afford to go to outside providers due to inflation and rising costs of living. Many students are uninsured or underinsured, and mental health is not a necessity for these families. looking for someone
What local governments need is a safe, non-judgmental and supportive natural environment where children and families can access prevention, early intervention and treatment in school-based programs.
Congress should help implement Public Law 15-59 in favor of having school-based mental health centers in every school.
Alexis Zinkerman is a writer for A Mile a Minute Productions in West Hartford.
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