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SAUK PRAIRIE, Wis. (WMTV) – With a new school year underway, many Wisconsin schools continue to face uphill battles to address mental health concerns amid staff shortages and increased caregiving needs.
The Sauk Prairie School District is fortunate to have a full staff of school counselors, psychologists and social workers this year, but officials say they “can always use more” and are looking for new ways to make sure there are enough resources, not just continuity. Students and staff, but also their families.
We know there are many children and adults who need mental health care but are on waiting lists that can be 6 months or longer. Access to mental health is very difficult to navigate the health care system, especially in rural parts of the state. We are no different,” said Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jeff Wright.
That’s why the school board in Sauk Prairie recently approved a new online service. CareSolace To provide free, individual and group therapy to families in the district.
Wright said some of the largest school districts in the state have seen success using the service, and he hopes Sauk Prairie will see positive results as well. “While we know we can’t do everything under one roof, we’re excited to bring this opportunity to our students,” Wright said.
Sauk Prairie Middle School counselor Mindy Brenig said addressing mental health needs to be a community effort. “Our teachers and our administrators and our custodians and our lunch people. “We want everyone in the building to follow our kids and work together,” Brenig explained.
This new school year marks her 20th year working in education, and she knows that addressing students’ mental health concerns is an ever-growing task, but gaining trust is always her first hurdle. “Students won’t come to you if they’re not comfortable. It’s extremely important to be visible from the beginning and establish those relationships,” said Brenig.
Not every school district in Wisconsin can approach the new school year with as much confidence in their mental health resources.
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Education shows that one in five students experience a mental health problem, and its website states that “more than 80 percent of incidents go untreated.” For those receiving treatment, about 75 percent is provided at school.
This comes as the number of mental health professionals working in schools is declining across the country.
“We are feeling those shortages. How do we find a school psychologist on a pretty regular basis with principals and supervisors and directors of special education? How do we provide these supports and services if we don’t have a school social worker? said Tim Pirenbaum, a school psychology consultant with the Wisconsin DPI.
At the end of August, WECAN (Wisconsin Education Career Access Network) showed the following number of open positions in schools across the state: 37 social worker jobs, 45 psychologist jobs and 56 counselor jobs.
With so many unfilled jobs, the ratio of students to mental health workers is overwhelming for many districts, Peerenboom said. “If mental health professionals can’t focus on providing the services they’re trained and experienced to do, when students lose, they can’t get those services, and professionals get burned out, because they feel that way,” said Julie Incet, school social work consultant at Wisconsin DPI.
DPI has competitive grants that school districts apply for to help fund these positions, but INC says the overall support from the state falls short of what is needed to truly address the problem. “I also think school leaders could support more funding for school mental health professionals at the state level. Right now, we have a partial grant program but only for school social workers and the DPI has tried to include school counselors and school psychologists,” said Inciti.
However, when it comes to recruiting and educating the next generation of school-based mental health professionals, Dr. Kathy Eklud with UW Madison’s Department of Educational Psychology offers a more positive outlook.
“Indeed, we have the highest number of applicants ever. Last year, more than 150 graduate students applied to our doctoral and EdS degree programs in school psychology. “We have a very competitive program and we want to accept as many students as we can each year,” Eklud said in a statement to NBC15.
Dr. Eckhlod added that the number of teachers in this field is also strong. “The number of teachers is not decreasing. There are more teacher positions available (and accepted) now than there were 10 years ago. School psychology currently has more than 150 training programs across the country.”
Dr. Eklund, UW students for their future work in A School Psychology Training ClinicHe, in turn, supports schools.
“Our graduate students work as practicum students and interns with school psychologists in local schools. They provide collective, individual and group mental health support to children and youth, as well as school-wide social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care and disaster response services in schools.
When asked how to deal with the current shortage of mental health workers in schools, Dr. Eklud said, “The Wisconsin Legislature could provide loan forgiveness programs for school psychologists who choose to stay in the state of Wisconsin after graduation (similarly to the UW-Madison School of Education for teacher ed). Candidates for the Teacher Pledge Program).
She also argued that school districts could “increase the pay of school-employed mental health professionals so that they can better meet the needs of children in local schools.”
This sentiment was echoed by DPI officials, with Peerenboom saying, “There’s always the question of whether they’re being paid enough. As a school psychologist or social worker, you’ve gone to a lot of school and are a graduate-level professional, and many school districts don’t have the funding to support a full-time person.
In the short term, DPI advises school districts to recruit and retain quality mental health professionals in schools.
– Create positive work cultures by incorporating employee appreciation.
– Support employees to have a work-life balance.
– To do this, give employees extra rest in a quiet place.
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