Many of today's adolescents have little to no connection to their environments or the native plants and animals that share their spaces. This is primarily due to a significant decrease in the amount of time children spend outdoors now, compared with children in the mid to late 20th century, compounded by a lack of natural history and outdoor…

Research tells a bleak story of U.S. children and youth with unmet mental health needs (anxiety, depression, eating disorders, etc.). One-in-five children and adolescents experiences a mental health condition in a given year. One-in-ten high school students attempted suicide one or more times during the past year. And 59% of youth with major…

Tennessee Coordinated School Health (CHS) connects physical, emotional and social health with education through eight inter-related components. This coordinated approach improves students' health and their capacity to learn through the support of families, communities, and schools working together. Physical education and physical activity create…

Typical health lessons are taught in a classroom setting, where students sit in their chairs and passively receive information. This instructional method may not be the optimal approach, as Ratey discovered in his famous experiment that the human brain is more aroused when the body is physically and actively engaged in the learning environment.…

In this article we propose a model of collaboration for school teams as a guide to the provision of effective, individualized and culturally responsive school-based mental health supports. When school teams embark on this process, they must be ready to provide a continuum of care within a comprehensive plan. Collaboration is essential when working…

Increasing rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report describes how components of the Johns Hopkins Suicide Prevention Awareness, Response and Coordination (JH-SPARC) Project aligned with a multi-faceted strategy for suicide…

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…

After a year of turmoil and unsteadiness in people's lives, the country, and the world, taking steps to improve and increase self-care is one thing one can do to reach for better. Compassion fatigue, being overworked and underpaid, and the emotional stress that is added simply because educators care about each and every one of their students can…

Responding to pervasive mental and physical stresses of the COVID-19 crisis, the author assigns first-year students various routine wellness practices for one hour each week along with requisite reflective writing exercises. Student expectations, experiences, and outcomes are presented.

Military culture may affect the psychological functioning of military students who seek services in university and college counseling centers (UCCCs). Further, mental health professionals, including practicum and intern students, working in UCCCs may not be adequately trained to provide multiculturally competent services to military students.…

Numerous evidence-based programs (EBPs) exist for delivery in schools to promote youth mental health outcomes. However, school systems often lack the internal infrastructure to support the effective implementation and sustainment of EBPs when external supports are withdrawn, resulting in notable attenuation in the benefits in youth clinical…

With a growing demand for addressing the mental health needs of students, so is the need for faculty and practitioners in student affairs and academic affairs to engage in supporting students through their trauma, due to a lack of mental health resources and a rise in students' feelings of isolation and anxiety, as a direct result of the COVID-19…

Investing in school mental health programs has the potential to improve youths' access to mental health services. Barriers to the implementation of school mental health programs include limited workforce capacity, competing priorities, and lack of coordinated care. The current paper describes the history, development, and key components of the…

Even though Black Male Initiative (BMI) programs have found ways to positively influence the academic and psychosocial outcomes of Black men attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), Black college men remain at high risk for psychological distress. Current research addressing the need for BMI programs to incorporate wellness and mental…

There is growing interest in surfing as a recreational activity that may facilitate skill development and improved mental health. However, there remains uncertainty regarding the causal processes through which surfing may improve psychological well-being. With the aim to guide future research, we review potential mechanisms that may underpin the…