Youth Mental Health & The Learning Environment

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Savannah Chatham County Public School

First Presenter’s Email Address

Raessha.Stanley@sccpss.com

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Raessha Stanley, LCSW is a native of Sumter, SC and relocated to Savannah, GA in 2009. Ms. Stanley obtained her bachelor’s degree in social work at South Carolina State University (2009) and received her master’s degree in social work at Savannah State University (2011). Ms. Stanley is licensed in Georgia and South Carolina with 13 years of professional work experience. Ms. Stanley works with my clients using an eclectic holistic approach to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment.

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Percival

Strand #1

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

Youth living with mental and behavioral health diagnosis may experience a harder time in the learning environment. Students with confirmed diagnosis may experience issues with impulse control, inability to remain attentive or on task, may have emotional or behaviors outburst, and could experience attendance/academic concerns. As reported by the CDC, the most common mental health issues in schools are anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2024). It is imperative for schools to provide support and assistance to these students and their families to ensure their academic success. A variety of resources and interventions can be utilized/implemented in the learning environment to help promote student mental/behavioral health and overall well-being.

Brief Program Description

School-based mental health is a vital part of creating an effective student support system within the learning environment. Studies have proven a child’s academic success is determined by their mental and physical needs being met. With the use of evidence-based interventions mental and behavioral health professionals in the learning environment can help children improve their behaviors and outlook on life.

Summary

Youth with mental and behavioral health diagnosis can at times experience trouble within the learning environment for a variety of reasons. Some parents are not aware of how to manage their child’s symptoms and/or what resources are available to them. School- based mental and behavioral health services can help eliminate the struggle the parent experiences when attempting to locate effective resources. School-based mental and behavioral health programs have shown to have a positive impact on support provided to students and their families. These programs have assisted with connecting youth and their families to services that benefit their overall wellbeing by addressing behaviors, symptoms, diagnoses, and implementation of evidence-based interventions.

Evidence

Tier 1 – Strong Evidence, Tier 2 – Moderate Evidence, Tier 3 – Promising Evidence, and Tier 4 – Demonstrates a Rationale. Interventions applied under Title I, Section 1003 (School Improvement) are required to have strong, moderate, or promising evidence (Tiers 1–3) to support them. Within the learning environment, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is utilized as a reward system for positive behaviors. Youth with behavioral and mental health diagnosis may require additional assistance with managing their behaviors. This happens with youth identified at Teir 3 and 4. School counselors, school psychologists, licensed clinical professional counselors and school social workers are resources within the learning environment that can connect families to school-based services. Some counselors and social workers are trained on how to manage students’ behavior and mental health needs but are not permitted to provide those services within the learning environment. This is when school counselors, school psychologists, licensed clinical professional counselors and school social workers identify community support services such as APEX (Gateway Behavioral Health), Curtis V. Cooper, and/or other outpatient therapeutic resources. These specially trained mental health professionals utilize a variety of interventions to assist with students learning to manage their mental/behavioral health symptoms. Interventions such as CBT, TF-CBT, DBT, and other psychotherapies. The Georgia Apex Program was created in 2015 by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. This school-based mental/behavioral health program is used to support early detection of mental health needs and create healthier synchronization between school districts and the state’s community service boards (2024). This resource is only at a few Chatham County Public Schools and is not available for all youth who would benefit from the program’s services. As a result of this, SCCPSS has also implemented a program titled The Front Porch. The Front Porch is used as a one stop shop to connect families to various community support resources without a fee.

Learning Objective 1

Common diagnosis within the learning environment

Learning Objective 2

Resources available for youth and families

Learning Objective 3

Evidence-based interventions

Keyword Descriptors

Evidence-based interventions, mental health, behavioral health, therapeutic services, youth and families, outpatient

Presentation Year

2025

Start Date

3-4-2025 10:15 AM

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Mar 4th, 10:15 AM

Youth Mental Health & The Learning Environment

Percival

School-based mental health is a vital part of creating an effective student support system within the learning environment. Studies have proven a child’s academic success is determined by their mental and physical needs being met. With the use of evidence-based interventions mental and behavioral health professionals in the learning environment can help children improve their behaviors and outlook on life.