Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
School of Social Work
First Reader/Committee Chair
Yawen Li
Abstract
Children between the ages of five and eighteen spend a significant amount of time in school settings where they may have the opportunity to receive mental health services if needed. Children come into contact with many school faculty members, such as teachers, social workers, counselors, secretaries, administrators, and many more. These faculty ideally would be able to identify and properly refer children to mental health services. However, prior research demonstrates that many faculty members are not aware of the various types of mental health services and programs provided in schools. In addition, for mental health services to be correctly offered to children, school faculty members need proper mental health training that would aid in identifying when a child needs additional support, as well as identifying appropriate mental health services geared towards children. Equally important, it is imperative to understand the perspective of school faculty members because they are in regular contact with children and they may inform others of the needs of schools, parents, and the community.
The purpose of this study was to assess school faculty’s knowledge and understanding of mental health related services provided in schools. The targeted population was school faculty working in a K-12 settings across a variety of school districts in California. Participants were sought through online platforms and were asked to complete a survey. This study identified areas in which school faculty may require additional support in identifying mental health needs among students and raising awareness of the mental health support that is available to students. The results identified the lack of mental health related training provided to all school faculty members. Implications of these findings and recommendations for social work are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez Vargas, Bianca and Cortes-Vazquez, Cristal, "SCHOOL FACULTY’S KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS" (2023). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 1608.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/1608