Abstract
School closures due to COVID-19 left students in Michigan without physical access to school mental health professionals (SMHPs) and other supports typically available in schools. This report examines the needs of SMHPs across Michigan during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and how those needs informed programming and resources provided by a University of Michigan school mental health training and implementation program. In April 2020, a web-based survey asking about student and SMHP mental health was sent to 263 SMHPs who had previously participated in this program. 155 SMHPs (58.9%) responded. Nearly half of SMHPs reported their students’ most pressing needs were support for self-care, anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress. Some SMHPs also met screening criteria themselves for depression and/or anxiety. This survey provided an overview of SMHPs’ concerns early in the COVID-19 pandemic and drove development of new COVID-19-related resources designed to support SMHPs.
Highlights
High schools increasingly provide numerous services to students, including mental health support
school mental health professionals (SMHPs) were asked to rank the needs they felt were most pressing to their students
SMHPs believed that safety planning/crisis planning were less pressing needs for students; only 5.8% (n 9) ranked any of the safety planning needs as the most pressing need for their students
Summary
High schools increasingly provide numerous services to students, including mental health support. Barriers to care include logistical or practical challenges, such as insufficient numbers of qualified child and adolescent mental health providers, long wait lists, and inadequate insurance coverage; as well as more nuanced or societal challenges, such as social stigma, shame, or mistrust of the healthcare system (Brener et al, 2001). These barriers are often most pronounced in settings impacted by social determinants of health. Communities impacted by poverty and limited resources may have higher rates of trauma exposure, family stress, and mental health concerns
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