Allyssa Boes
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Mentor(s): Kaci Messeder
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Detroit Disability Power / NonUM
Program: UROP
Session: Session 7 (4:40pm – 5:30pm)
Authors: Allyssa Boes, Kaci Messeder
Abstract
Over one in six of children and adolescents in the United States have a mental health condition and Half of all mental health conditions begin by the time a person is 14 years old. Despite there being a pervasive mental health problem among young people in this country that has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, there are few resources dedicated to helping students with their mental health. K-12 schools are the primary place that kids receive mental health care, yet there is a huge disparity in the resources, staff, and funding dedicated to mental health support in schools. This research was completed with Detroit Disability Power (DDP), an organization that aims to mobilize disabled Detroiters and build the political power of the disability community, creating a guide for mental health care support in K-12 schools. Among the topics researched were common mental health problems in students, barriers preventing students from accessing mental health resources, benefits of supporting students’ mental health, recommended mental health staff and ratios, best practices for mental health in schools, and current policy pertaining to mental health support in schools. The research is relevant for any school, but additional resources are included for the Detroit area.This comprehensive, easy-to-use guide can be used by school faculty, staff, and administrations to improve their mental health resources, learn how to better support their students, and close the gap in mental health support in schools.
