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BALANCING THE RATIO While the number of young people seeking mental health support has grown, available counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists have struggled to keep up. While some federal funding has allowed for new hires, the number of students per counselor has increased.
COUNSELOR-TO-STUDENT RATIO
FUNDING SUPPORT Local and federal programs aimed at increasing the number of professionals are underway, and schools are working to increase the number of mental health professionals on campuses.
Represents 1 counselor American School Counselor Association recommendation
Represents 20 students
Texas Counseling Association recommendation
Texas 2020-21 school year ratio
1: 250
1: 350
1: 392
Through ESSER III funding, NBISD created
During the 2021-22 school year:
4 counselor
positions 6
Ratio
Counselors
Students
Communities in Schools positions
1: 384 1: 376
New Braunfels ISD
25
9,607
Comal ISD has expanded mental health professionals from TO 4 19
Comal ISD
72
27,125
SOURCES: AMERICAN SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Cattin and other mental health pro- fessionals have pointed to prolonged isolation during school closures, uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased access to social media as some contributing fac- tors to rising rates of mental illness. As the need for access to mental health care continues to mount, local school districts, nonpro t organiza- tions and private practices are work- ing to hire additional sta to meet the growing demand. Even as awareness about men- tal illness continues to increase and seeking treatment is further destig- matized, some providers such as Dr. Anne Esquivel, president and founder of the local children’s counseling prac- tice Mind Works, expects the need for support will continue to outpace the number of available practitioners. “I don’t think anybody has enough sta to be able to meet the needs,” Esquivel said. “The repercussions of this two-year period are going to be long-lasting. And just because the pandemic is done does not mean that the trauma is gone … every single person in this world was impacted in According to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpro t organi- zation that focuses on national health issues, parents with children ages 5-12 reported their children had elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress during the pandemic. Additionally, a study conducted in October 2020 by the Pew Research some way by the pandemic.” Communication challenges
Center showed that 47% of parents of children who were preschool age or younger were more concerned about their children developing social skills than before the pandemic. “Clearly, the isolation that was cre- ated as a result of the pandemic as well as the increased screen time has not helped our kiddos to learn those social cues and those communication tools that are just necessary to live in the world,” said Ingia Saxton, execu- tive director of secondary schools for New Braunfels ISD. As a result of school closures at the beginning of the pandemic and chang- ing mask mandates from district to district, Saxton said students have become more reliant on technology for communication and have struggled to readjust to in-person interactions. Communication barriers created by technology are a driving factor behind rising anxiety and depression, said Sasha Gomez, a licensed master social worker at Comal ISD’s Church Hill Middle School. “Kids are just spiraling like they feel like they can’t talk to their teacher about turning in a piece of homework or things [that] I think, developmen- tally, middle schoolers should be able to communicate,” Gomez said. “That social communication aspect is just really impacting how anxious they feel about school stu and home stu .” The changes in mental health needs among students has impacted the way campus sta approach education, Saxton said, and partnerships with organizations such as Communities in Schools have created opportunities to
educate teachers about how to support students who are struggling. Both NBISD and CISD partner with CIS of South Central Texas to provide additional support on campus, and Cattin and Gomez have each been involved with the organization for a number of years. According to CIS of South Central Texas, the time spent providing men- tal health support to students and families across 59 schools increased from 22,932 hours during the 2018-19 school year to 36,605 hours during the 2021-22 school year as of April. At NBHS, a group called Unicorns in Action was formed to bring about 40 students together each week to discuss communication, coping skills and more, Cattin said. Both Cattin and Gomez said that continued education about men- tal health for students and adults is needed in addition to greater access to support. “I think there’s always still work to do with destigmatizing mental health and what that looks like for each person,” Gomez said. “Everyone is struggling in some way, and it’s OK to talk about it.” Tackling accessibility While school counselors and men- tal health professionals on campus provide signi cant support and crisis intervention, students who need long- term care are often referred to exter- nal counselors and other community resources, Gomez said. “We do a lot of short-term solutions in school because we want them to be
American Rescue Plan Act— $170 BILLION
was allocated nationally in March 2021 for school funding. Many schools used this to hire mental health professionals.
Also through ARPA:
$80 MILLION
for pediatric mental health care access
$20 MILLION
for youth suicide prevention
$10 MILLION
for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative
SOURCE: AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
in class as much as possible,” Gomez said. “We’re one person that’s poten- tially servicing a whole school.” The American School Counselor Association recommends one school counselor for every 250 students, while the Texas Counseling Association rec- ommends one for every 350 students. In NBISD, the current ratio is approximately one counselor for every 384 students, and CISD has about one counselor for every 376 students, according to district data. During the 2020-21 school year the state of Texas had one counselor for every 392 stu- dents, according to data from the Texas Education Agency. Area school districts have part- nered with organizations such as Hill
FINDING SUPPORT
National suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Comal County Crisis Center: 830-620-4357
Hill Country MHDD 24 hour crisis line: 877-466-0660
Connections Individual & Family Services: 800-532-8192
Let’s Talk Comal website: www.mapcomal.org
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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