By Effective School Solutions The current mental health crisis among our country’s young people is far reaching, affecting youth in all groups and at all socioeconomic levels. Yet certain populations are especially vulnerable. For instance, research shows that LGBTQ youth experience more mental health struggles than their heterosexual peers. And…

by Lucille Carr-Kaffashan, Ph.D. As students begin their 4th academic year impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, educators are continuing to adjust their understanding about what types of support are needed to address children’s educational and emotional challenges. Teachers and administrators all over the country are reporting record levels of anxiety…

By Lucille Carr-Kaffashan, Ph.D. The start of the school year in many parts of the United States coincides with the annual campaign by health care organizations and advocacy groups to shine a light on a growing national health concern — suicide. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month, and September…

By Lucille Carr-Kaffashan, Ph.D. Students returned to the classroom this fall with a mix of emotions more powerful than the usual melancholy about the ending of summer. After two and a half years of disruption and uncertainty, some students eagerly anticipated a further return to “normalcy” while others faced the…

By Effective School Solutions A recent New York Times article reported on the escalating mental health crisis among America’s youth. This was just the latest in a spate of media reports on our nation’s mental health emergency. The article shared the stories of several struggling young people and highlighted a…

By Lucille Carr-Kaffashan, Ph.D. School districts typically have focused most of their mental health resources on high school students. Teenage angst is a much-discussed phenomenon, but many adults find it hard to believe that younger children can experience severe emotional distress and even consider self-harm and suicide. Given the dramatic…

by Effective School Solutions It appears it is becoming more and more frequent that we find ourselves in a situation where we need to address an issue of violence or devastation with the children in our lives. The following guide is meant to provide a trauma-attuned framework that can help…

By Laine Whitaker, MSL May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States and has been observed as such since 1949 when it was started by the National Association for Mental Health, now known as Mental Health America (MHA). After two years of unrelenting stress and uncertainty, now more…

by Effective School Solutions Literary scholars can debate about the layers of meaning associated with the opening lines of T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land that refers to April as the “cruelest month”. Mental health professionals are certain, however, that contrary to popular belief, April along with May and June…