Mental health challenges are on the rise among today's youth. Recent reports have noted an acute and significant need for school-based mental health education and supportive interventions for children and adolescents. Among these approaches, a growing focus has centered on improving students' mental health literacy (MHL) as a foundational…

As a new academic year beings, teachers, children, and families have a high level of excitement and angst. Many look forward to getting back into a regular routine, being with friends, being in the classroom, and being part of a larger community. However, it is known that many routines were and continue to be disrupted by COVID-19: mental health…

In recent years, the rates of children and adolescents hospitalized for suicidal thoughts and behaviors have increased, necessitating that schools be prepared to support students as they return to school after hospitalization. Yet, recent research shows that most schools do not have formalized policies and procedures to support students during…

With significant challenges in rural schools such as limited mental health resources, poverty, high visibility, and physical isolation, rural school counselors face a set of unique experiences and challenges. We present an ecological framework to conceptualize the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of rural school counselors and provide…

Most individuals receiving mental health treatment have trauma histories, yet counselors and counselor educators trained in traditional counseling programs have insufficient background in trauma and trauma-informed care. Here, we describe the literature-supported approach we use to integrate trauma knowledge and competencies across the graduate…

Socio-emotional learning (SEL) is essential for the holistic development of a child. It is a process through which individuals acquire and effectively apply their knowledge and skills to understand and manage their own emotions, show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Schools function…

The pandemic has exacerbated student dysregulation, leading to drastic changes in academic achievement and student behavior today. Mindfulness, an evidence-based practice, can help to regulate the nervous system (Rashedi et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2019) or "unflip a student's lid" (Siegel, 2012, p. 10-6). This allows students to manage…

Background: The opioid epidemic has created unprecedented challenges in the United States (US), including hundreds of thousands of lives lost to overdose in the past five years. Expansion of prevention and treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is urgently needed, as evidence-based strategies exist but many remain unable to access life-saving…

This dissertation investigates the lived experiences of Millennials with student loan debt, a growing issue as college enrollment and tuition costs rise. Despite the significant impact of this debt crisis, research on this demographic's experiences is limited. This study fills this gap, aiming to equip mental health counselors with a deeper…

The novel coronavirus has created a challenging, difficult, and chronic period of unhealthy stress for everyone associated with today's schools: teachers, parents, students, counselors, and administrators alike, both in the United States and globally. This article offers psychologists in the schools a resource for information on what to consider…

"Responding to Student Trauma" is an urgent addition to current trauma response practices. Written by a middle school counselor, this easy-to-follow book provides a framework for understanding and responding to the needs of students experiencing trauma. With many schools lacking adequate staff for supporting student mental health, this…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of disorders directly caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. This spectrum of disorders cause neurodevelopmental, neurobehavioral, and mental health effects. The consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure are permanent, leaving children and adults with behavioral and learning difficulties throughout…

Engineering students face significant stressors such as high academic expectations and extreme time demands that have the potential to impact their mental health. Due to the mentoring responsibilities of chemical engineering faculty, faculty are often positioned to provide support for these students. Through this article, we aim to help prepare…

Through the development and implementation of a trauma-sensitive comprehensive school counseling program, school counselors can be essential in meeting the mental health needs of youth in foster care. The multitiered systems of support (MTSS) framework is one potential strategy in achieving this goal. We offer recommendations on how school…

Navigating the development of attraction ad identity can be particularly stressful for sexual/gender minority (SGM) students--particularly as multiple states have passed legislation targeting SGM rights and culture. School psychologists can mitigate such stress through effective counseling when consent is granted for service provision, but parents…