School mental health professionals share strategies
As the nation struggles with yet another recent school shooting – this time in Santa Clarita, Calif., there is no single strategy or program to create a safe school environment, says the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The professional group advocates widespread collaboration among administrators, teachers, school psychologists, counselors, school resource officers, parents, students, and community agencies.
Some of the collaborative strategies outlined by NASP include:
- Create school–community safety partnerships. Start a systematic planning process to understand the school’s safety challenges and opportunities. Establish a school leadership team that includes key personnel: principals, teachers, school-employed mental health professionals, instruction professionals, school resource officers, community members, and a professional skilled in data collection and analysis.
- Enhance efforts to create and maintain a positive school climate that promotes learning, psychological health, and student success. School administrators must balance physical security with efforts that foster student resiliency, connectedness, and social competency. Central to this effort is helping students and their families feel valued and personally invested in keeping their schools safe.
- Respond systematically to all threats made by students. Schools can and must respond to all threats that students (and others) make on school campuses. Use a threat assessment approach for evaluating and intervening with students’ potential violent behavior.
- Promote antiviolence initiatives that include prevention programs for all students. General interventions include school-wide violence prevention programs. These activities encourage all students to experience positive emotional development and to use non-violent means to resolve their personal conflicts.
- Provide adequate access to mental health services and supports. Mental health, behavior, safety, and learning are integral to one another. Yet only a fraction of students in need receive mental health services, and among those who do, the majority access those services in school.
According to NASP, “There is no single or simple solution to making schools safe. It is a multifaceted, ongoing effort that requires commitment and participation from all stakeholders. The challenge for school leaders and mental health professionals is to work together to put that knowledge into practice. When an entire community commits to reducing violence, the health and well-being of its children and youth are enhanced.”