by Shawn Nowlin
Conversations surrounding mental health need to be normalized.
Being a teenager today comes with challenges that previous generations never had to worry about. COVID-19, for instance, has had a lasting effect on the mental health of many.
The second leading cause of death, after unintentional injuries, for Americans aged 10-14 is suicide. It is recommended that there should be a school psychologist for every 500 students.
The 2022-23 Student Advisory Council, comprised of middle and high school students, asked Superintendent Verletta White if they could have more resources, and she answered in the affirmative. “When our students feel emotionally, socially, and psychologically well, they are much more likely to do better in school. They are also more likely to come to school, and more likely to thrive,” she said.
A San Francisco-based company, Hazel Health provides telehealth assistance to various schools all over the country. Sixty percent of its users identify as a person of color, according to the organization. Earlier this year, Hazel Health partnered with Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) to provide students with free mental health resources.
Noted Hazel Health Chief Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles, “Once the student is matched with the therapist and connected with the therapist, evidence-based practices is used to develop a treatment plan to identify the core issues that are driving the student’s concerns. And then to work through that treatment plan and come to a successful resolution of their symptoms. The quicker we can get them back to the classroom, the better so that they can be present so that they can learn and achieve and be academically successful.”
Students have the option of speaking directly or virtually with a licensed therapist. To become eligible, a parent must first sign off. Funding for the initiative came through the American Rescue Plan. The services are at no cost to the students or their families.
By increasing accessibility, the hope is that stigmas around mental health will significantly decline.
“Whether or not a child has trauma, as a result of seeing some type of violence – gun or domestic – or has experienced other kinds of traumas, a death of a loved one, or any type of loss, these services are so critical for them,” White said. “At some point in our lives, most of us need someone else. We make sure that our students realize that asking for help is okay. At the end of the day, we want our students to be able to ask for help when they need it.”
Many parents have said this news could not have come at a better time. Come January, Hazel Health will additionally offer same-day pediatric care. For the most up-to-date information, visit my.hazel.co/rcps.
