(The Dallas Examiner) – Since the pandemic, there has been a nationwide trend of K-12-age children experiencing higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicide, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now, with the majority of children having returned to traditional school environments, Dr. Tracey Brown emphasized the critical need for resources and skills to help students cope with the lingering effects of the pandemic.
“I think something got lost in terms of how we connect and build healthy relationships,” said Brown, executive director of Mental Health Services at Dallas Independent School District.
With 13 Youth and Family Centers located across the Dallas area and a notable increase in counseling and psychiatric services, Dallas ISD provides mental health services for all K-12 students and their families. These centers offer access to licensed therapists, psychiatrists and referrals to the district’s network of third-party resources.
During the pandemic, the Dallas ISD school board of trustees allocated additional funds to mental health services to gain an additional 25 clinicians and effectively doubled their outreach efforts.
However, Brown said the future availability of these funds is uncertain.
“Those extra dollars run out this year, but we’ve asked and proposed that in the incoming year, we’re able to retain a large number of clinicians,” Brown said. “We’re hoping that the board will continue to support us in that effort.”
With the increasing demand for school-based mental health services nationwide, having fewer clinicians would require Dallas ISD to adjust the number of schools clinicians serve.
“Right now, we are following a 3-2-1 model. If clinicians have elementary, they serve three campuses, middle school they have two, and if they’re at high school, it’s one,” she said. “Not having those extra clinicians would lead to them needing to take on more schools.”
Among school-aged youth, 1 in 6 experienced impairments in life functioning – including impacts on academic achievement – due to mental illness, according to the Texas Education Agency. The prevalence of mental illness among students increases as they grow older.
Kayla Solley, licensed professional counselor and registered play therapist, said it’s significant for children to manage and regulate their emotions, especially starting at an early age.
“Kids are going to face other challenges that are hard, traumatic or dysregulating,” Solley said. “Starting that framework can be helpful for kids to know how to manage those types of things when they happen again when they’re older.”
Like many school districts across the state, Dallas ISD serves a significant population of Black and Hispanic students, ethnic groups that the CDC reported as having low rates of mental health treatment.
Brown said that the districts keep a pulse on their students and the diversity that they bring to properly serve them.
“Dallas County and other organizations found that there was a huge gap in mental health, behavioral health and medical services in the 75216 and 75217,” Brown said. “As a result of that, we were able to outfit a new clinic in the southern sector.”
Sean Ricks, interim director of social emotional learning at Houston Independent School District, said he observed increases in mental health needs among students even before the pandemic.
As a native of New Orleans, he said that the increased need for mental health support after major stress-inducing events is not surprising.
“I remember as far back as Katrina, and some other natural disasters, where you’ll see this post spike,” he said.
Houston ISD received federal funds because of COVID-19. These funds were allocated to hiring additional mental health specialists and launching the “Let’s Stay Connected Hotline,” a 24-hour crisis care hotline.
Houston ISD’s first level of support is provided by their school counselors. The Texas Counseling Association recommends a ratio of 1 counselor for every 350 students. Houston ISD’s ratio stands at one counselor for every 390 students, a figure similar to that of many other school districts in the state.
To ensure students receive the care they need, the district utilizes third-party resources, like Hazel Health.
“We launched [Hazel Health] last year as a new health service program to help with 78 of our schools,” Ricks said. “Students can speak with a licensed therapist or medical provider from school or at home with no cost to families.”
Dr. Kimberly Willson, director of Mental Health Services and Crisis Management at Austin Independent School District, said that the lack of providers in the Austin area has led to many students and families utilizing the schools’ 99 established mental health centers.
The centers offer short-term therapy, but Wilson said that if students require additional support beyond what the district can provide, they also seek assistance from their network of providers.
“We may still have this lack of providers in the community, but I think we’re trying to do well by filling the gap internally so students can feel supported while they’re in school,” Wilson said.