Mental Health Goes to School

In this episode Jo-Ann and Candida spin off from our last interview about school avoidance, digging a little deeper into the high rates of chronic absenteeism being seen across the country since COVID-19. Public discussions have tended to focus on this problem as one of kids and families falling into bad habits since the pandemic. In our experience and reading we have found that there are numerous...

School refusal or avoidance is a real problem that is not the same as not liking school. Some students miss school for weeks, months, or even entire academic years. The reasons students avoid or refuse to attend school are rooted in anxiety and are not just a desire to do something else. It’s not playing hooky. Jayne Demsky started her journey with school refusal when it became a problem for her s...

Medical treatment of ADHD is often a key support for student success. Jo-Ann and Candida talk about ADHD: what it is and how medications can be part of a multi-pronged approach to treating ADHD. The discussion includes reviewing some of the most common medications prescribed and potential benefits for some children with ADHD. The hosts remind listeners that anything spoken about in this episode is...

School nurses and school health and safety are intertwined and yet often misunderstood. The role that nurses play in the school environment varies across states and districts - although far too many schools and districts have no or too few school nurses. Feeling safe is fundamental for students to be able to learn and for teachers and others to help students learn. Unfortunately, school nurses are...

Back to school articles and tips are everywhere this time of year - with great ideas for helping your child or teen navigate the start of the school year to set them up for success. But when mental health needs are in the mix, some of these tips may sound impossible to approach, let alone put into practice. Organizational tips that make sense for many children and families may not be accessible to...

Black, LatinX, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities have historically been under-resourced in mental health services, and school settings reflect that. The average number of students managed by each psychologist or counselor is 1200 or more - leading to deeply inadequate supports for mental health needs. Furthermore, the ranks of mental health professionals working in these communities t...

Mental health has been a challenge for educators for years and the pandemic only increased the needs of students and educators. Scared and unhappy kids can’t learn. In this episode we talk to a middle school administrator who has been bringing greater awareness, sharper focus, and useful practices to students and educators in her school and district. Courtney Rau Rogers is a middle school Assistan...

The surging mental health challenges in kids dominate headlines, but solutions remain elusive. In this episode we’re going to learn about how one pioneering school psychologist has been building systems to bridge that gap. Our guest today, Dawn Cattucci, is a school psychologist who witnessed the rising tide of high school students struggling every day. In 2008, she and her team discovered a power...

Candida and Jo-Ann introduce ourselves and why we are doing this podcast. We met on the first day of college orientation and have been best friends through a range of training and career paths and through parenting our kids into young adulthood. Jo-Ann now teaches English to teens with mental health needs, and Candida consults to school districts about student mental health. We have spent many hou...