School counselors advocate for students' academic, social, and emotional needs. School counselors are at the forefront of addressing students' mental health needs. This study sought to investigate the types of mental health services available in high schools and explore school counselors' awareness of the impact these services have on gifted…

Consequential to the COVID-19 global pandemic, widespread school closures ensued, profoundly affecting secondary school students' academic, social, and psychological well-being. Simultaneously, the academic year of 2020-2021 witnessed a notable surge in the departure of public school teachers, with nearly half opting to resign. This exodus was…

The study addressed the following research questions: how were the transition needs of students with ED being addressed by professionals in alternative or therapeutic day high schools; how were transition services provided by professionals in alternative or therapeutic day high schools for students with ED addressing the protective factors…

Adolescents have the highest rate of internet use, when compared to any other age group. The debate about adolescent social media use and its impact on their mental health has sparked research; however, there is a gap in the literature associated with adolescents diagnosed with depression and their use of social media. The purpose of the…

This study explored the availability of mental health services in the South Florida high school setting and how the application of said services could affect adolescent student-athletes who are experiencing depression and anxiety based on the perspective of the school's leadership. A total of eight individuals participated in the study, all of…

Recent research shows increasing levels of adolescent depression seen across the United States. The problem of how to identify these individuals and provide them with appropriate services is an area of interest for mental health providers and policymakers. This study examines teachers as gateway providers to student mental health services. A…

School based mental health interventions provide a promising treatment pathway for a variety of mental health concerns. They can be provided on a wide scale to students with a variety of presenting concerns, and allow access to needed services where barriers may otherwise prevent treatment. A majority of the existing literature on this topic has…

In 2013, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 13-20% of youth living in the United States experiencing a mental health disorder. Research indicated that mental health disorders can negatively affect an individual's cognitive, social, and emotional functions (National Institute of Mental Health, 2018). As a result, students…

The emergence of the pandemic, which saw the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 virus, temporarily disrupted teaching with traditional education models changing the way Health Science instruction and training are presented. Secondary and postsecondary schools were unprepared to follow health mandates that restricted group gatherings and…

Study One Abstract, Introduction: Individuals with disabilities (IWDs) struggle to access health services that they need which ultimately leads to poorer overall health outcomes and health disparities. IWDs often rely on surrogate decision-makers, or caregivers, to help them make important health decisions. Therefore, the aims of the current study…

Despite an increase in mental health needs for Black adolescents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017; Moyer, 2018; Pettiti et al., 2017;) in the past few years, many middle schools in urban areas have not responded to the mental health demands that Black students require, and many urban school districts do not provide adequate…

This phenomenological study presented the lived experiences of eight high school principals who led through the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants represented eight different school from five school districts from across Colorado. Each participant's school implemented 1:1 devices, namely Chromebooks or iPads, for each student prior to the…

Digital inclusion is an opportunity to fill the digital divide, the inequity preventing access to technological resources which support participation in online learning. Specific to financially disadvantaged students, this interpretive qualitative study examines how factors of digital inclusion influence one's decision to pursue an online health…

This dissertation aims to elucidate that current school-based mental health services need a more LGBTQI+ affirmative stance to counter and disrupt the heteronormativity, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia that LGBTQI+ students regularly encounter at school. Many LGBTQI+ students continue to be harassed, bullied, and discriminated against;…

Anxiety and depression symptoms are becoming more and more common in adolescents with the majority of them not seeking treatment. Cognitive behavior therapy can be a successful treatment of their symptoms when implemented and used accurately. Not all school districts offer mental health services through an outside mental health agency. This…