The state of a student’s mental health can go a long way to determining the outcome of their educational journey. Similar to how a healthy athlete’s body can overcome seemingly impossible physical challenges, our minds need the same care and regular training to optimize the process of learning new skills. While this is true for people of all ages, it is especially important in the formative years of elementary school.
Through our student mental health services in Jacksonville, FL, we understand exactly how difficult the daily transition from dysfunctional home life to public school learning can be. Smart educators and role models are essential in increasing focus on their students’ mental health which can lead to better grades, happier students, and more productive adult lives in the future.
Let’s take a look at why student mental health services in Jacksonville, FL are so important in helping to highlight the importance of mental health.
Special Challenges
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are especially vulnerable to their mental health suffering due to both internal and external forces beyond their control. When we are young, we all face the same challenges of growing up and learning about our own personality and sense of one’s self. Now add to that one issue such as poverty, absent parents, divorce, poor diet, lack of exercise, a toxic or abusive home life, bullying, or any of the other things that can impact young students in Jacksonville. With these added challenges, disadvantaged children face an uphill battle at a time in their lives when they’re supposed to be learning the skills needed to create a happy, healthy life for themselves.
Special Focus
Here at Communities in Schools in Jacksonville, our student assistance services in Jacksonville, FL are acutely aware of how to spot kids suffering from poor mental health. Some things to look out for include poor grades, nightmares, fidgeting, aggression and/or disobedience, anxiety, depression, and self-harm. These issues place an additional burden on young minds, impeding their ability to learn and retain new skills so it’s critical to identify and address these issues as early as you can. Once mental health problems are identified, you can create a plan to empower the child and start working towards solving the problem.
Solid Foundation
The most important thing is to first let students with mental health issues know they aren’t alone. One of the scariest things in life is to think that you have nobody in your corner and that you must do everything yourself, especially in your grade school years. While this situation can be very demoralizing for disadvantaged children, the key is not to coddle but rather to empathize and provide a sense of togetherness so that they know they aren’t alone. Sometimes simply not feeling alone is enough to overcome many common mental health hurdles. In many situations, it may be enough to just provide that missing message of love, companionship, and support that some students lack in their home life.
Start Making Positive Changes
Once you’ve provided that foundation of community and friendship that the student in question was lacking, more specific action items can be used to address whatever issues they currently face. Whether it’s getting more exercise, learning about nutrition, how to make new friends, or how to study effectively and set achievable goals for themselves. Taking the time to demonstrate how to recognize their challenges and find solutions to their problems through counseling, reading, and embarking on self-help quests is key to making positive changes. This is where real growth and mental maturity begin to take shape.
Pay Attention To Your Student’s Mental Health Moving Forward
It’s especially easy for disadvantaged youth to become frustrated and sink deeper into the pit of despair when everything around them is negative. However, when students have someone in their corner who takes the time to be a friend, mentor, and guiding light, the odds start to turn in their favor. To find out more about our student mental health services in Jacksonville, FL, and the work we do in our local community, be sure to get in touch with our team at Communities in Schools in Jacksonville today. Together, we can have a positive impact on the students in our community and help them to achieve their dreams.
