Equip Staff and Students to Improve Recognition of and Response to Signs of Distress

Recommended practice #1

Ensure that staff and students recognize signs of distress

Overview:

Mental health education for staff and students is central to creating a supportive and proactive environment. When school staff have the knowledge and skills to identify potential mental health challenges, schools can intervene early and provide the necessary support to students in need. Educating students about the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges can also encourage them to seek help for themselves or their friends.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, text, call, or chat 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7.

Evidence Base

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LEARN WHEN TO USE IT IN YOUR SCHOOL

Ensuring that staff and students can recognize signs of mental health distress is a practice best implemented or revisited when it becomes apparent that many students are struggling without support. At the institutional level, this can be identified through signs such as:

• High numbers of students dealing with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
• Students having trouble keeping up with their classes, especially if they also have signs of mental health challenges.
• Students with mental health challenges not being identified and helped early.
• Students not being referred to (or seeking help) even though resources are available and have been readily shared.

To help everyone recognize and respond to signs of distress, it's crucial to ensure they know the warning signs of distress, what to do if they notice them in themselves or others, and what resources are available. Individual signs of mental health struggle may include, but are not limited to:

• Persistent behavior suggesting sadness, hopelessness, or irritability
• Withdrawal from friends, family, and activities they once enjoyed
• Increased use of drugs, alcohol, or other numbing agents
• Significant changes in sleep patterns, such as insomnia or oversleeping (school staff may notice students seem more tired than usual)
• Noticeable changes in appetite or weight
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering things, or making decisions
• Fatigue or decreased energy levels
• Behaviors that suggest feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or low self-esteem

It’s essential to develop and communicate clear protocols for staff to follow when serious concerns are identified, as is teaching students what to do if they notice signs in themselves or others and what resources are available. Helping everyone to know how to look out for each other in this way leads to better mental health outcomes and student success over the course of their lifetime.

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CONSIDERATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Several factors can affect the implementation of programs designed to help school staff and students recognize signs of mental health challenges. This includes creating a culture where people look out for each other and normalize recognizing signs. To get the most out of this approach, here are a few top level considerations:

1. Training and education: Providing comprehensive training and education to school staff is crucial for successful implementation.
2. Administrative support: Support from school administrators is essential for the successful implementation of mental health programs.
3. Stigma and attitudes: Stigma surrounding mental health can hinder the implementation of programs aimed at recognizing signs of distress.

By taking these factors into account, you can maximize the impact of your efforts to train staff and students to recognize signs of distress, ultimately promoting better mental health outcomes for all students.

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Recommended practice #2

Ensure that students and staff can respond to signs of distress

Overview:

While it's essential to educate both students and staff on recognizing signs that someone might be struggling, it's equally important to ensure they know how to respond in a helpful and supportive manner. By creating a school environment where everyone is equipped to recognize and respond to signs of distress, your school is not just helping individual students, it is also building a stronger, more resilient community.

Approaching someone who seems to be dealing with mental health challenges can be intimidating, especially if students or staff are unsure how to help. ¹ By providing training and resources on effective communication, active listening, and supportive strategies, your school can empower students and staff to confidently reach out to those in need.

Evidence Base

LEARN WHEN TO USE IT IN YOUR SCHOOL

The indicators that your school could benefit from enhanced training on how to respond to distress are similar to the indicators for recognizing signs of distress. If you’re implementing programming in your school to recognize signs of mental health challenges, then it is important to make sure that your staff (and students) can also respond in a productive way. Here are a few additional signs that your staff may need new or refreshed training on how to respond to students signs of a mental health challenge:

• Increased incidence of students exhibiting mental health challenges or being referred for services: If schools notice a growing number of students exhibiting signs of mental health challenges or being referred for issues such as increased anxiety, depression, or substance misuse, it becomes crucial to ensure teachers are prepared to respond appropriately.
• Noticeable student resistance to confiding in adults: Distrust of adults may reflect negative experiences with sensitive topics. This makes it all the more important that staff have training in knowing how to supportively respond to sensitive mental health linked disclosures.
• High stress school events or environments: Youth who regularly experience high stress or who experience traumatic events, like a school shooting or natural disaster, are more vulnerable to mental health challenges. It will be especially imperative for staff in this context to know what to look for and how to respond to signs of related mental health challenges.

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Considerations for Implementation

Equipping staff and students with the knowledge on what steps to take to respond to signs of distress can start with providing practical guidance on how to start conversations. This can connect people with the support they need, whether it's suggesting coping strategies, offering a listening ear, or helping someone access professional help. The earlier someone gets support, the better the outcome is likely to be.   Creating a culture where people look out for each other is critical, as is normalizing not being afraid to speak up when they're worried about someone. To get the most out of this approach, it's important to keep a few things in mind:

1. Ongoing training is critical. Your school will need to provide ongoing support, refresher courses, and opportunities for staff and students to practice their skills in recognizing and responding to distress.
2. Training should be thorough. Programs that provide comprehensive, evidence-based training on mental health literacy, signs of distress, and appropriate response strategies work better than brief or superficial ones.
3. Everyone needs to be involved. Getting all members of the school community— including administrators, teachers, support staff, students, and parents and caregivers—on board with mental health education and support efforts can create a more cohesive and effective approach.
4. Stigma is a real problem that needs to be tackled. Addressing and reducing the stigma around mental health is crucial for encouraging people to seek help and creating a supportive environment.³
5. Culture counts. Knowing and respecting culturally appropriate strategies for starting and sustaining potentially sensitive conversations around mental health will be important to ensure they're relevant and effective.⁴
6. Strong referral systems are a must. Your school or district should have clear, well-established referral pathways to connect students in distress with appropriate mental health services and support.⁵ These pathways should include clear guidance around parent and caregiver involvement in the referral process.

By taking these factors into account, you can maximize the impact of efforts to train staff and students in recognizing and responding to signs of distress, ultimately promoting better mental health outcomes for all students.

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Recommended practice #3

Ensure that all staff are aware of and can easily access key local and national resources

Overview:

In order to ensure all students feel supported, it is important to make sure all school staff know the resources available to help students who are struggling. These include local and national organizations that specialize in mental health support, including culturally accessible options tailored to specific vulnerable groups such as  LGBTQ+ students, students of color, or those from economically disadvantaged families.

Develop a centralized repository where staff can access all local and national resources, and ensure this database is easily accessible and mentioned frequently to stay fresh in everyone's minds. Ensure that you  bring it up in meetings, send out reminders, post flyers, and have resources available on other channels for staff communication. Identify translation needs to ensure equitable access and update resource lists regularly.

When your staff know exactly where to turn for help, both within the school and in the community, and when those resources are relevant to your students' lived experiences, your school will be better prepared to support students facing challenges and help them thrive.

Evidence Base

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LEARN WHEN TO USE IT IN YOUR SCHOOL

To help your school staff benefit from better awareness of and access to mental health resources, it's important to evaluate the efficacy of your current partnerships and resources. If you have limited collaborations with community mental health providers or few mental health programs available to students and families, it will be helpful to expand your network and find new ways to bring these important resources into the school.

Taking stock of your school's ability to connect students and families with mental health services is key to making sure your staff can meet the diverse needs of your students. To address gaps, you can:

• Build partnerships with local mental health agencies
• Create referral pathways to mental health clinics, healthcare systems, and other community-based care
• Provide staff with detailed resource directories
• Offer regular training on how to use these resources to support students in need

By proactively addressing gaps in staff knowledge and access to local and national mental health resources, administrators can create a more supportive school environment that helps all your students succeed.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Ensuring staff have access to the resources they need to support student mental health should be an integral part of their training and professional development. This training should be ongoing and customized to fit the school's needs. Research shows that staff can identify and use resources more effectively if they do the following things:

1. Designate a mental health leader or coordinator, such as a school psychologist or counselor to be the go-to person for staff who are navigating mental health concerns. This can help ensure that mental health resources are effectively managed and accessible to staff. Conduct a thorough resource mapping of all mental health resources available within the school and the broader community. Resource mapping helps identify gaps in services and opportunities for collaboration.⁷
2. Establish clear, well-documented referral pathways and processes that outline steps for connecting students to mental health services. These protocols should be easily accessible to all staff and regularly reviewed and updated.⁸
3. Collaborate with community providers. Schools that build strong partnerships with community mental health providers are better equipped to meet the needs of students. These collaborations can include co-located services, telehealth options, and regular communication and care coordination.⁹
4. Integrate with school-wide systems like your school's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. This ensures that mental health is prioritized alongside academic and behavioral supports and that staff have a clear understanding of how to access and use available resources¹⁰

In a positive and supportive school, it's important that staff not only know how to recognize signs of distress, but also who and where they can turn to for support and the policies around doing so. Schools can create a safety net by building a culture of awareness and empathy. This kind of culture helps identify and support students who may be struggling with mental health issues, personal challenges, or academic difficulties.

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