Children often experience social, emotional, and behavioral challenges during their academic careers. Those challenges can interfere with learning. At the same time, we know students can thrive when they feel safe, supported, and healthy, both physically and mentally. School counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, and school-based mental health clinicians – working in partnership with community systems and organizations, as well as with families and young people — can promote students’ mental health and remove barriers to learning.
The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) has developed a suite of school mental health resources to help state and local education agencies develop and sustain school mental health programs that improve the mental and behavioral well-being of all students. These resources include (1) data on the prevalence of common behavioral health issues, and (2) information and customizable tools to promote student mental health.