Educators have limited knowledge of youth mental health disorders, treatment, and school-based supportive strategies. Mental health literacy (MHL) interventions are designed to promote educator understanding of youth mental health. The Go-To Educator Training is a MHL intervention developed for educators. The current study extended research on the…

Most recent data confirms that the transition and learning "gap between youth and young adults (ages 14-24) with and without disabilities remains significant despite decades of federal and state legislation intended to improve education and employment opportunities" (Cheng & Shaewitz, 2020, p. 28). Researchers have highlighted that…

This study utilizes archival data from a district-based initiative aimed at improving the provision of school-based mental health services. It dives deep into the stories of adolescents who were classified and receiving special education supports, which included school-based counseling. These students endured challenging family contexts. A…

Students present with mental health needs and posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet they largely do not receive necessary services. Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at…

Youth mental health concerns, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, are a global public health concern. These concerns inevitably manifest in school settings, where K-12 youth are spending significant portions of their time. While schools, districts, and state and federal policies are working to expand mental health support in school settings, school…

A public school district in southeast South Carolina implemented a new arts-based initiative due to the surge in demand for mental health services for students following the pandemic. With more students in the research site requiring intensive mental health support during the 2021-2022 academic year, compared to the 2016-2017 school year, the…

Adolescents in the United States are in a mental health crisis. It is estimated that more than 20% of children ages nine to 17 struggle with behavioral, emotional, and social problems and mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Mental health…

The evolving role of the school counselor reflects a commitment to supporting the holistic development and well-being of all students, addressing the complex challenges they face, and creating learning environments where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. School-based mental health programs and strategies are…

School counselors play an integral role in helping adolescents navigate and overcome the psychological distress that they experience. This study aimed to better understand the experiences of Jamaican school counselors who provide psychological support to adolescents in high school. Urie Bronfenbrenner's (2006) bioecological model of human…

High school athletes are not immune to mental health challenges. The persistent lack of state or national mental health guidelines for athletes has impacted high school athletes' abilities to access and apply resources in a mentally healthy manner. This can impact not only a high school athlete's career but can leave lasting effects on collegiate…

My dissertation studies the relationship between counseling and violence within U.S. schools. Much of the research on school security and school safety tends to lean heavily on routine activities theory and other opportunity theories, which limits the study of other factors critically relevant to this topic such as school climate. This…

School counselors are the first personnel called on in a school to provide daily student mental health support. However, complications such as additional non-counseling duties and high student to counselor ratios exist which limit the time school counselors have available to support student mental health needs. While the number of youths needing…

This study explored the issues surrounding adolescent sleep (middle school students in grades 7-8) in a suburban school district in Columbus, Ohio. This study assessed the effects of a KidsHealth.org sleep education program through middle school physical education class to potentially improve daytime sleepiness as measured by the Epworth…

School based mental health interventions provide a promising treatment pathway for a variety of mental health concerns. They can be provided on a wide scale to students with a variety of presenting concerns, and allow access to needed services where barriers may otherwise prevent treatment. A majority of the existing literature on this topic has…

The purpose of this study was to examine how the influence of traditional and nontraditional support factors (social emotional learning support, parental, peer, and academic support) in their varying forms impact persistence to high school graduation. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, high school students have faced many unexpected…