It’s back-to-school season, and, I, like numerous other parents, am preoccupied with getting just the right classes or teacher assignments to help my kids’ chances of getting into a top university. My incoming sophomore is trying to get a waiver to take AP English on top of two other AP classes, and before we were able to meet with the teacher, shocking news came of her suicide. I ache for this teacher, her family, and the students at the school who are about the start school under this shadow. What would you do for the kids at my daughter’s school?
We are more stressed, lonelier, suicidal and hopeless than ever, and spiraling downward. This is snowballing into a dangerous global public health crisis that is increasingly costly and difficult to solve, and it won’t go away on its own.
Mental health issues affect people of all races, education levels, and income strata. Behavioral health is complex and contingent on environment, income, race, genetics, education, etc., but it is an absolute prerequisite to all other stability and success in life.
Money has been thrown into social-emotional learning to have teachers—the positive adult influence already present in children’s lives—trained to act as frontline crisis intervention. The logic behind this logic is reasonable until you see how much educators already struggle with budget cuts, increased class sizes, and added administrative duties.
Families have been struggling because there are many barriers to care—a major one being the shortage in the behavioral health workforce. Why is there a shortage of therapists, counselors, and other behavioral health professionals? It’s very stressful being surrounded by aggression, trauma, dysfunctions, and devastation yet compensated very little for the advanced degrees and continuing education required for licensure.
Educators, social workers, counselors, psychologists, and others who choose the healing profession sacrificed their time and finances to help people. Simply adding more tasks to an overburdened workforce will not lead to success. Many of the past and current policies and approaches to behavioral healthcare aren’t adequate. Industries and policymakers must work together and do what is necessary to deliver effective care.
We can’t just focus on a race to the bottom—i.e., how do we make support as cheap as possible. Instead, there needs to be long-term consideration for a healthy, resilient behavioral health ecosystem. People must defend their right to behavioral health because it is vital to their overall health and life outcome. Both societies and funders need to recognize services are worth paying for.
How do we get there and what can you do?
Clinicians: Comment or get in touch with us. There’s a big learning curve to the business. The general public’s common perception of a therapist is someone who sits on a couch just listening to people talk about their lives and easily makes $150/hr. I want to help make business people and policymakers understand the reality.
Educators: Tell me the challenges your students, colleagues, and schools are facing and why you cannot double as a behavior support staff too.
All other human beings: Your input and support are welcomed. Because if you’re human, you’ve got mental health to maintain 🙂
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