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They are young Americans today. in war For their mental health, and schools are on Front lines Working to provide critical resources. In religious schools, a new national study reveals a surprising area where mental health resources can be improved: how school counselors navigate religious differences with students.
Springtide Research Institute’s 2022 Study, “Mental Health and Gen Z: What Teachers Need to Know” Thousands of students have asked about their mental health experiences at school, including why they hesitate to see a school mental health professional. In this regard, one finding stood out to us: 47 percent of religious school students agreed, “The school’s mental health counselors/therapists may not understand me or the challenges I’m facing because they don’t share my religious beliefs.” Only 33 percent of students attend non-religious schools.
This 14-point difference between students at religious and non-religious schools is the largest of the 13 survey options given for why they hesitate to see a school counselor.
On the one hand, one can imagine additional opportunities for students and counselors in faith-based schools to agree on beliefs and to resolve these disagreements. Additionally, among survey participants attending faith-based schools, only 64% self-identified as Christian (including Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or “Christian only”), while 36% self-identified as Christians. Perhaps they attended a Christian school. Regardless of being a Christian. If a clearly Christian approach to mental health is used, these students may be afraid to visit the school counselor.
However, many Christian students in faith-based schools, whether Protestant (38%), Catholic (40%), Orthodox (53%) or straight Christian (32%), were hesitant to contact the school counselor. “Because they don’t share my religious beliefs” to get help. In theory, wouldn’t Christian students in a Christian school benefit from a school counselor who appreciates a distinctly Christian perspective on mental health issues?
How faith-based schools hold back students
To clarify what is happening, I brought these findings Dr. Scott SecorAssistant Professor of Counseling and Psychology at Southern Nazareth University as well as Director of Clinical Training and Associate Director of SNU’s Renovate the counseling center. A licensed professional counselor, Secor has been an instructor in SNU’s graduate programs since 2012. Creating culture. Serving Christ”
Interestingly, Dr. Secor theorizes that counselors in faith-based schools are personally defining how much or how little they believe in their students.
On the one hand, Dr. Secor points out that counselors at faith-based schools can talk a lot about their faith.
“It’s interesting to me that their students seem to be knowledgeable about the therapists’ religious beliefs, because it implies some self-disclosure by therapists that often goes against good therapy,” Secor said. He adds, “My clients often know very little about the details of my life by design. But that doesn’t mean they don’t get to see who I am as a person. But my belief systems are not relevant in therapy, they are an important part of the client’s belief systems.
On the other hand, Dr. Secor from Christian school counselors points out that the lack of self-disclosure about their faith creates uncertainty in students—but exploring uncertainty is not just good faith counseling, it’s the key to growth. .
“Often we feel as though others share with us – and share, I mean raise their voices – similarities with us and our belief systems. If therapists are unclear or ambiguous about the therapeutic position, this ambiguity can lead to uncertainty, which can lead to overconfidence and thus the prediction that the therapist can actually believe. Dr. Secor explained.
He goes on to say, “Good therapists promote a place where uncertainty is not something to be feared, but leads to greater self-understanding and richer life experiences. This often makes therapy seem very disorganized and unstructured. Psychologists and therapists, the good ones, have hopefully learned to accept differences and be okay with not knowing, and in fact, be okay with others actively believing in things that are different from us. This is how I often see the interplay of psychology, counseling, and faith.
Gen Z and uncertainty
Dr. Secor’s comments resonated with my colleagues and I here at Springtide. Last year our annualThe State of Religion and Youth 2021: Navigating Uncertainty” Gen Z was determined to learn how to navigate these uncertain pandemic and post-pandemic years.
We recognize that uncertainty can sink a young person’s mental health or provide the raw material from which to build strength.
We find that uncertainty can give a young person mental health or provide the raw material that builds his strength. We find that the difference often comes from the guidance and counseling young people receive from trusted adults, including faith leaders, teachers, employers, and school counselors.
There are many young people when it comes to their faith. distance themselves From religious institutions and traditional religious symbols b “Untethered” spirituality Marked by versatility and precision, they often draw inspiration from a variety of sources. To the extent that students perceive the Christian school counselor as representing the religious institution or enforcing the institution’s traditional religious symbols, this may account for some students’ reluctance to disclose their mental health issues to the counselor.
In this way, religious school counselors face a unique challenge: How do you counsel Gen Z in an invitational way from within a faith-based institution? Moreover, how do you attract Gen Xers, who are weary of the establishment, to counseling while being careful not to provide trust-building transparency about their personal beliefs?
There may not be good answers to these questions right now, but with one-third (33%) of religious school students telling Springtide they usually/always struggle with depression, the stakes have never been higher for solutions.
Kevin Singer is the head of media and public relations at the Springtide Research Institute and has taught religious studies at community colleges for the past 10 years.
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