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Violence in Schools – How School-Based Mental Health Services Help

Every parent fears that their child will become a victim of violence in schools. You place your child on the bus or you drop them off at the door and hope that nothing occurs during the day that could hurt your child in any way. In other words, you are placing your trust in the staff at the school to keep your child safe.

One way that schools are keeping children safe is through the implementation of school-based mental health services. These services are a great way to improve mental health, improve school performance, and reduce behavioral problems that can ultimately lead to violence within the school.

Studies

Studies have been conducted that show that the overall mental health and performance of students who have mental health services to their disposal at school are able to cope with issues better. They feel that they have somewhere to go to acquire the help that they need. And if they are reluctant to seek help on their own, the school’s mental health services allow both parents and teachers to arrange for counseling for students.

You see, one issue that parents face is that mental health services are too expensive. They may or may not be covered by insurance. If they are covered by insurance, the coverage may only be limited. Nevertheless, there are millions of individuals without insurance, making counseling something that cannot be obtained.

Services offered

As for how school-based mental health services work, they provide an open door for students to receive the help that they need. If a student is experiencing problems at home, they are depressed, are being bullied, or experiencing other issues that compromise their mental health, they are able to receive the counseling that is needed.

This counseling can result in a reduced chance of violence that is the result of depression or being bullied. Furthermore, counseling can reveal any harassment occurring within the school and measures can be taken to reduce bullying within the school. It is important to note that most school violence is committed by a student or students who have been pushed over the edge by another student. Many times students give bullying as their reason behind committing an act of violence. Sometimes these are the quietest of students where being quiet was the only thing they ever did to “deserve” being bullied, although no one deserves to be treated in such a way.

Prevention

All-in-all, mental health services within the school can lead to the prevention of school violence, thus resulting in the prevention of injuries and deaths that may occur. It has also been found that school-based mental health services are one of the most cost-effective ways of preventing violence within schools.