Therapist and Psychiatrists! Should they be a staple in every school?
By bellaofchaos
@bellaofchaos (11538)
United States
April 30, 2009 11:16am CST
With all the stress of todays world and things getting worse before they get better. Like back when I was a kid school shootings were unheard of and suicides weren't until high school. Shakes Head... But now adays things like this are happening to younger and younger kids. It starts in elementary school and goes on til they get older. Things have changed and with things changing in our world shouldn't we change to adapt to this crisis. Now I know a lot of people scoff at therapy or pyschiatry but think about it. How many schools have a therapist/pyschiatrist on site? And if they do how inviting is it to go to them? Honestly I made a discussion about tolerance saying that it should start at home and continue in school I asked in that discussion what curriculim should be added to help teach tolerance. I also asked another question having to deal with consequences to the bully one parent answered that there should be consequences and that there should be help for the student that was affected. Now my respondent goes on to say that her childs highschool doesn't have a therapist like hers did when she was in school.. That got me to thinking.
Should every school have a therapist or a Psyciatrist(sorry about sp)in the school for the students?
Should the school hold group therapy session for the students twice a month and teach them the right way and wrong way to express their emotions and to talk about their problems?
Do you think that this would help our children in the long run?
I know that therapy doesn't work for everyone and some people just feel eh about therapy but do you think if this was done for every grade that we might actually have more mentally healthy children that are able to deal with stress and their emotions better?
Please sit on my couch and tell me what you think!
2 people like this
9 responses
@cynicalandoutspoken (4725)
• United States
30 Apr 09
And while they are at why doesnt the school make everyone gather in the auditorium every Wednesday afternoon to get in a giant circle with everyone holding hands and singing KUMBYA.
I thought a guidance counselor was supposed to be the one our kids went to when they were having problems. And I believe school guidance counselors need some sort of degree in behavioral health. No school is going to pay a psychiatrist to be on staff. Maybe you could get a LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) to take the job but no one with a higher degree would take the pay any public school would offer to be on staff.
And as an example, I paid a $20 co pay for my daughter to see a psychologist 2 times a month for almost 3 years. Towards the end she started having problems in school and also started going to the guidance counselor for "guidance". She told me she would rather see the guidance counselor because the time she spent with her was actually helping her, and the psychologist wasn't.
So sorry Bella, but if anything, maybe a school should keep more than one Guidance Counselor on staff but there isn't a need for someone more "professional."
1 person likes this
@TLChimes (4822)
• United States
30 Apr 09
A lot of kids in my area don't get art, music, or gym.... I think they need that all AND therapy.
Here it's a war zone and these kids see some nasty things in their lives.... there are scars that don't go away and create a nasty cycle of abuse and abusers.
Kids live what they learn right?
You know how I feel over all so.... *shrug* I think every school needs at least one. At least.
1 person likes this
@bellaofchaos (11538)
• United States
1 May 09
Yep more and more the programs we had when we were little are drifting away. *shakes head* Your right kids live what they learn, and sometimes what they learn doesn't make things better for them only worse. sigh.... but I don't think that they should have something in place.
@mummymo (23706)
•
1 May 09
Hmmmm Good questions honey! I have to say that I do believe every child should have access to Therapist, Counsellor, Psycologist although not necessarily in school. School should be able to refer the child but I think MORE bullying would happen if this help took place in school hours and on school premises. Then again this has never really happened here so I have nothing to base these thoughts on! xxx
@captainmorgan (773)
• Canada
1 May 09
Well I think there should be a school counceler (sp?). A pychiatrist would be inapropriate because they give out medication. Children don't need to be issued medication in school. If it is that serious, that should be done more privately, not in the school. The kids should have someone that they can go talk to if something is troubling them. I don't think they should be forced. I was once asked to go see a counceler and they knew something about me that one of the friends had told them. I didn't say anything and refused to let them help me because I was sort of forced into it. If they had mentioned the school counceler to everyone and handed out pamphlets or something, I probably would have went. I think basic learning about how to handle emotions should be taught in health classes, and where I go to school there is a section about it.
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
1 May 09
A pychiatrist would be inapropriate because they give out medication
a school psychiatrist would NOT be permitted to prescribe medication to a student without the parents/caregivers consent...Even a psychiatrist outside of school isnt allowed to do that..
@wonttakelong (3555)
• United States
30 Apr 09
I dont think schools need a therapist full time
they have counselors
counselors can and should be communicating with kids about various things
if the counselor feels that the student needs more than they can give then they can call someone in or recommend to the parents that the child needs more help than they can give
most schools cant afford to keep a therapist on staff full time
most teachers and administrators have some knowledge/training in child psychology
@wonttakelong (3555)
• United States
1 May 09
I dont think your guidance counselors are doing their jobs
I think they are piss poor excuses for guidance counselors
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
1 May 09
Ha! They may have had to take a psychology course, but from what I've seen they didn't learn much from them. Okay, maybe SOME were paying attention in psych class, but some of the teachers I've come across need to be in therapy themselves.
@renemouche (843)
• United States
1 May 09
I think schools should have a consulor for kids to talk to. I know must school have guidence consulors. The degree in which they help varies. I know my consulors weren't good in high school. They didn't even help you when it came to acdemic stuff so I doubt they would have helped some one who came to them for emotional advice.
It would be diffcult for every district to be able to afford a licensed therapist but with all that goes on in the world and in some homes I think that children need a trusted adult outside the home and their family to confide in.
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
1 May 09
Please sit on my couch and tell me what you think!
can I sit on the floor instead please? or maybe in that chair in the corner...that looks comfy LOL
Every school I went to EXCEPT grade school (gr 1 - 6) had a counselor of some sort...In fact in high school we had our Guidence Counselors AND a Truancy *sp* Officer who would come in and be available to talk (I saw both every Tues while I attended for that short time LOL AND my shrink Tue after school)..At my kids school which is a Middle/High School there are counselors available too...
do I htink there should be in every school? Yes...EXCEPT maybe grade school..but in Middle and High School - ABSOLUTELY! Especially in todays day ya know...I dont believe that kids are more stressed than we were (though their work load is more intense but thats a different area IMO) however I do believe that kids/teens today have even less of a support system compared to when I was a teen....
Group sessions? Hhhmm I dunno about that one...It could be a good thing BUT then again it might bring on more issues for the kids that DO attend group sessions by the bullies who of course wouldnt attend...Tough call on that one..I guess it would depend on how the group sessionsn would be set up and played out ya know..
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
1 May 09
I think that there should be a team of Child and Educational psychologists and social workers who should help and assists teachers in cases of children with special needs. Yesterday our union ordered a strike for all teachers in Maltese state schools because the government has not kept his promise to engage psychologists to assist us. So yes i am in favour of such group of people to assist children who are having behaviour problems.
