Students’ mental health is a big issue for schools – but teachers should only be part of the solution

Schools are an obvious place to do mental health work with young people. This is important, as about one in seven young Australians are diagnosed with a mental illness. This includes issues like psychological distress, anxiety, depression, school refusal, and complex trauma.

However, the ratio of school counsellors and psychologists to students means they can be very difficult for students to access. For example, there is about one counsellor for every 750 students in NSW public schools.

Consequently, teachers are often seen as front-line mental health providers by default. This has particularly been the case since the start of the pandemic.

But what is reasonable to expect of teachers when it comes to students’ mental health?

Training is patchy

There is little consistency in the types of mental health services provided by schools or who actually performs this role.

Many schools have counsellors or psychologists, while others may have access to Department of Health and non-government staff who might come into schools to deliver a specific program or provide targeted support to at-risk students. But availability is a huge issue.

Meanwhile, there is no consistent mental health training for new teachers. Many teacher education programs do not explicitly address mental health. If it is included, it often occurs as a single day of training, or sometimes features as part of other subjects. The level of training a student receives is often up to a lecturer’s interest in mental health rather than identified needs.

Even then, the focus is also often around supporting student wellbeing, rather than addressing mental illness.

There are professional development training and resources on mental health for existing teachers. But again, these are not consistently applied.

Teachers are not confident

Given inconsistent and potentially inadequate training, it is unsurprising that while teachers take mental health seriously, many report low confidence about supporting their students’ mental health. In one 2017 study in the United States, almost 50% of teachers reported they had received inadequate mental health training, and 85% indicated they would like further training in mental health issues.

Even experienced mental health professionals report feelings of incompetence when addressing their clients’ mental health needs.

So, if qualified mental health practitioners feel this way, our expectations of teachers in the mental health space should be carefully considered.

Teachers do of course have a valuable role in supporting student mental health. But this needs to occur in the context of teaching.

They can do this by developing a positive, supportive learning environment that supports students’ individual needs and strengths. Teachers can provide opportunities to build positive student identity and self-esteem by providing genuine opportunities for students to succeed in the classroom. Teachers can have positive relationships with their students and foster healthy peer interactions.

It is important teachers know how to identify students with possible mental health problems as well as being aware of potential referral options (noting lack of availability is an issue). It is also important

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What can teachers do?