Mental Health In Urban Schools

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Mental Health in Urban Schools
When it comes to the issue of mental health, urban schools have a lot of untapped strengths and assets, which reside within the students and their families, the school staff and the community resources. Urban schools are ripe for exploration, as we understand the importance of promoting a healthy emotional development and also because of the critical issues faced by students during the school year. Some of the students misbehave, some go through physical or sexual abuse, some of them are emotionally upset and others have difficulty getting along with their peers or adjusting to the school requirements. The central question behind any mental health approach should be – How can the schools engage these challenges? …show more content…

• Drawing on the empirical evidence to develop a multifaceted, cohesive and comprehensive continuum of community-school interventions to address the barriers to learning and promote a more holistic development.
What does the urban school system currently provide?
Most of the urban schools have some programs in place to address mental health and psychosocial concerns, like school adjustment, problems with attendance, dropouts, sexual and physical abuse, substance abuse, emotional upset, relationship difficulties, violence and delinquency. The schools themselves fund some of them, while others are a result of links with youth development agencies and community service. Some of the programs are district-wide while others are linked to specific schools. The intervention might be offered to all the students or those recognized as “at risk”. The recommended activities might be implemented in either regular or special-ed classrooms or even as a pull out program. They are designed either for an entire class, individuals or …show more content…

Yearly patterns – The beginning of a school year is a period of hope. As time progresses, a number of stressors emerge, from increasingly difficult homework assignments, interpersonal conflicts, and grading and testing pressures. Holidays, sports, social events, grade promotions and graduations give rise to additional stressors with their own developmental experiences. Having monthly themes to reduce the stress would be a great way to go.

a. September – Get off to a good start.
b. October – Enable adjustment to the school.
c. November – Respond to referrals in a way that can actually stem the tide.
d. December – Re-engage the students and use their time off in a way that will pay off.
e. January – A time for a new start for everybody.
f. February – The mid-point of the year accompanied by conferences and report cards. It presents another challenging opportunity.
g. March – Reduce the stress and prevent burnouts.
h. April – Springtime can be a period of high risk for the students.
i. May – This is the time to help families and students plan for a successful transition to a new school/grade.
j. June – Summer can be a great time for the kids to get a taste of the world of adults and learn to be independent by getting some seasonal

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