Educational institutions have for their entire history had to reckon with the behaviors that are difficult to manage within a school setting. These behaviors are now characterized with diagnosis and terms related to mental health, trauma and anxiety. Parallel organizations have evolved over time that are focused primarily on treatment programs for the mental health of students. Conversely, they have to deal with the educational issues to help students stay current in their academics.
Although there is a need for significant treatment for some of our students that requires a special setting, many of the mental health issues that are a part of our youth culture can be dealt with in a school setting. Lakeside has built functioning schools that blend education, behavior management and therapy. We also have provided over one hundred mental health counselors that work with school personnel and students in school districts.
Additionally, we have been able to train our techniques in brain and emotional regulation to students, teachers and school administrators. Hundreds of school professionals have learned how to manage classrooms, regulate students and train students how to manage their emotions.
With the current emphasis in cutting budgets in education and mental health it makes a great deal of sense to create a sort of hybrid educational and mental health system that will make schools a community center for both education and mental health. Students are already present at their school and the infusion of trauma-informed principles along with mental health therapy will allow students to have access to mental health services while attending their classes. Imagine a mental health center in each school as a standard part of our model of caring for our students at a national level.
As well, teachers will have an entire mental health staff to train and support them in how they manage students. With the significant level of mental health needs among our students today this could give our schools a more comprehensive model of care for teachers, students and families within every community.
This idea would take a great deal of creativity, planning, commitment and yes, some different kinds of funding. I do know that it is possible as it has been created at Lakeside and with some of the districts we work with. It would be a cost-effective and more contextual approach to the current mental health needs of our students while providing an educational set of programs that could allow them to find academic success as well. I know the training and capacity is there if we can create that vision, redirect our funding and establish a new hybrid system of education that could alleviate many of our current problems within our schools.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
