Mental Health Blog

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School-Based Suicide Prevention Plans: What Works

The death of a young person by any means is tragic, but a death by suicide has far-reaching effects on surviving family members and on both the school and the larger community. Schools are uniquely positioned to address the crisis of youth suicide and are vital for effective suicide prevention in schools because students spend the bulk of their days in school. As such, schools are critical spaces for early identification, intervention, and prevention.

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Will to Wellness

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mental health awareness in schools

June 27, 2024

Step 4 – Building Mental Health Awareness in Schools

As the youth mental health crisis rages on, educators and policymakers must take quick and definitive steps to raise awareness of mental health issues in our schools, our homes, and our communities.
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June 20, 2023

Step 3: Data-Driven Systems for Mental Health Programs in Schools

Mental health in schools is a domain where the capture of progress monitoring data has traditionally lagged, with qualitative descriptions of student progress being more common than quantitative measures.

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supporting teachers

January 9, 2025

Supporting Teachers Through the Second Half of the School Year

This is the time of year when teachers may need additional support to stay motivated – and to ensure their students do, too. Administrators have a vital role to play in helping teachers avoid the doldrums of the second half of the year and ensure that the months from January to June remain satisfying and productive for everyone.
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mental health crisis

January 8, 2025

The Mental Health Crisis Affecting Our Kids

While ordinary disappointments are part of any childhood, depression, severe anxiety, and thoughts of harming oneself are not. Alarmingly, these and other mental health issues are on the rise among our nation’s teenagers, leading experts to declare that America’s young people remain in the midst of a growing mental health crisis.
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mental health MTSS

January 8, 2025

Optimizing Your District’s Mental Health MTSS for Crisis Recognition and Response

In today’s rapidly evolving educational environment, addressing the mental health needs of students is more critical than ever. School districts have traditionally focused on robust interventions for the most vulnerable students, but many are now expanding their attention to Tier 2 and Tier 1 programming within the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
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funding mental health programs

January 3, 2025

Funding Mental Health Programs by Returning Students from Outside Placements

District leaders face the growing challenge of providing effective mental health care for students while managing limited budgets. One strategy for achieving both goals is returning students from costly outside therapeutic placements back into their home districts. By doing so, districts can reallocate dollars toward in-person, school-based, high acuity support for at-risk students.
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outside therapeutic placement

January 3, 2025

Optimizing Outside Therapeutic Placement Spending

School districts face the dual challenge of meeting students’ diverse mental health needs while responsibly managing district resources. One of the most significant opportunities for achieving both goals lies in evaluating and optimizing the annual expenditures on outside therapeutic placements.
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culturally inclusive

December 19, 2024

A Culturally Inclusive Approach to Holidays

Deepening our cultural sensitivity is an ongoing process, and it begins with recognizing our inherent and often unseen biases. Thus, as the winter holidays approach, it’s vitally important for educators to remember that not all students celebrate the same holidays.
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Videos

Watch leaders in the field discuss the growing youth mental health crisis, plus hear optimistic stories of hope and healing from school districts nationwide.

Podcasts

MINDBEAT by Effective School Solutions is the definitive go-to podcast for all topics related to school-based mental health.

Case Studies

Explore real-life stories and the remarkable journeys of schools that have joined forces with Effective School Solutions.

Learn more about Funding Sustainable School-Based Mental Health Programs

Complete this form to schedule a free mental health planning session where we will discuss available financial sources you can leverage to fund school-based mental health programs in your district.

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Our Unwavering Focus on Data Collection

At ESS, we have an unrelenting focus on data, measuring results, and communicating to our partners the proven impact our programming has on mental health, school outcomes and financial sustainability.

With every ESS partner, we will:

• Set data driven goals at the beginning of every implementation

• Have regular “Report Card” meetings in which we share the impact of ESS services

• Monitor data along the way to look for potential risk areas so that these can be proactively addressed

Learn more about our Will to Wellness 6 Step Framework

Complete this form to discuss best practices for districts, states, and federal policymakers that will reinvent mental health in schools over the next five years.

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Speak with our experts to learn how your district can improve outcomes and reduce costs

Complete this form to schedule a free consultation to learn more about your needs and challenges and to provide insights on where you may be able to improve mental health support.

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Let's Discuss the Mental Health Needs of Your Students

Fill out the form to request a meeting with one of our clinical experts to explore ways we can partner to strengthen your mental health programs.

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