Mental Health Crisis in California Schools: The Call for More School Counselors

The prevalence of mental health issues and suicidal thoughts and actions among school-aged children and adolescents is a serious issue. Over the past few months I have spoken to several people regarding the mental health crisis in schools and have listened to speaker panels focused on funding mental health services in California’s schools. Likewise, I have been interviewed by local television and participated in several print and radio interviews, sadly because of the recent shootings at Saugus High School in Santa Clara. By the time you read this publication, several conversations with key state legislators will have occurred. These legislators are inquiring about possible legislation to address student mental health in 2020. Unfortunately, the potential for institutional change occurs often in the aftermath of a tragedy. The closer the tragedy is to home, the more it reminds us how vulnerable we are. The conversation starter with state officials begins with addressing the funding reality: two billion new dollars are needed to adequately fund school-based mental health services in our schools. We are not asking for the Cadillac standard of investment; we are just asking for effective measure to help students succeed by funding school counselors to the effective ratio level of 250:1.

It has become increasingly evident that the ones with the answer to mental health prevention in our schools are school counselors and other PPS providers. And while the mental health crisis in schools is a hot topic with the media and lawmakers today, it is all too familiar to school counseling professionals, who are schools’ first responders. They are the ones who know and work with students to advert crisis. They are the ones who are on the front line of support and care for students who are depressed, anxious and/or traumatized. They are also the ones who have the perspective to advocate for institutional change; to create an environment of care, compassion and connectedness.

What does the research show?
According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, about 35 million children in the United States have experienced some form of trauma, not just stemming from catastrophic incidents, but from prolonged stress in families, such as parents’ mental health issues and divorce. There is substantial evidence that providing additional elementary school counselors improves teacher instruction due to reducing student misbehavior. Yet in California, elementary school counseling ratios are shamefully high, with an average caseload of 1931:1. Another study demonstrates how high school counselor leadership is effective in addressing depression and increasing suicide awareness.

Although California in just five short years has seen a 30 percent increase in the number of school counselors working in our schools, resulting in a 622:1 ratio, this is still way beyond the norm. Twenty-one percent of high schools in the U.S. don’t have access to a school counselor. Sadly, 450,000 of California students are in schools where there is a police officer and no school counselor. Likewise, the ACLU uncovered troubling statistics showing that police interactions disproportionately affect students of color, students with disabilities, and low-income students. A recent EdSource article quoted Troy Flint, a spokesman for the California School Boards Association, on the overuse of police officers, as saying, “So, they [school districts] often default to really visible indicators (like police) to show their constituents that they are addressing the issue.”

One of the steps the CASC Board of Directors is taking is to provide increased opportunities for professional development for all levels of educators in California. This includes training in trauma-informed care, solution-focused counseling, suicide prevention and developing climate strategies, including strategies for including social/emotional learning within the curriculum. On May 15, 2020, in partnership with San Juaquin Office of Education, CASC will host our first mental health symposium, bringing experts from around the state and county to share the latest strategies and research on addressing student mental health issues.

We are ramping up for a 2020 campaign to draw attention to the lack of school counselors in our schools. A big thanks to CASC board member Dr. Caroline Lopez-Perry and graduate students from California State University Long Beach, who recently disaggregated school counseling ratio data by level and region. I have had a sneak peek at the data and we will publish our findings for our members as soon as possible. The research really sheds a light on where the issues are most concerning.

No longer should California settle for quick-fix suggestions to the growing mental health crisis in schools. As we gear up for Campaign 2020, it will take all of us telling the school counseling story and demonstrating the importance of adequate funding for these essential services.