Wilson desperately needs more student support systems
October 24, 2020
Schools exist for one simple purpose: to nurture and educate students. Far too often, people who run and fund schools assume that education should be the first priority and that taking care of children comes second, if it is considered at all. This could not be further from the truth. When a student’s mental health is suffering, they are unable to learn. Children having proper access to mental health services is incredibly important for a successful school experience. Unfortunately, Wilson, like almost every school in the country, is failing in that measure.
Wilson has a student population of almost 2,000 students, yet it only has three psychologists and one therapist. This means that Wilson only has one psychologist for every 666 students and, very disturbingly, one therapist for every 2,000. Meanwhile, teens are experiencing major depressive episodes (MDEs), suicidal ideation, and deaths by suicide at shockingly high rates. In 2017, 17.8 percent of people ages 16-17 reported experiencing an MDE, and 7.8 percent of Gen-Z reported suicidal ideation. In addition to being absolutely mortifying, these numbers are also preventable by simply investing in the mental well-being of students.
Even in cases where mental health issues don’t result in severe physical problems, numerous studies have shown that they decrease a student’s ability to learn and receive good grades. A 2005 study showed that diagnosed depression was associated with a 0.49 drop in a student’s GPA, or half a letter grade, and a 2009 study showed that depression is a significant predictor of lower GPA and higher probability of dropping out. These studies, and other similar ones, prove the significance of mental health issues in education. Lack of student support systems is damaging, not only to our health, but to the one thing that many in DCPS care about more than anything else: our grades.
During my time in the DCPS system, I have struggled with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and an eating disorder. Never, across five years, three severe mental illnesses, and one attempt at taking my life, have I felt supported by the school system. I’m very lucky in that I have understanding parents and the financial means to pay for the therapy that I need, but not everyone at Wilson has the same resources that I do. When Wilson refuses to increase funds for mental health, they put the lives of 2,000 children at risk. The statistics are horrifying, but they’re not just statistics. They are your friends, your siblings, your classmates. Without Wilson stepping up and providing what we need, people will continue to suffer.
The lack of student support in Wilson, and all public schools, is immoral, dangerous, and cruel. When a school refuses to hire more psychologists, therapists, and social workers, it shows what the school values, and what it doesn’t. A school’s budget shows its morals more clearly than anything else a school says. When a school can’t find room in its budget to provide mental health care, that proves that the school doesn’t care for its students. A school that doesn’t care for its students has failed in its most fundamental duty. If Wilson wants to do its job, it has no other choice but to hire more psychologists, more therapists, and more social workers, without delay.
Lacey Maddrey • Oct 25, 2020 at 8:13 pm
Hi Aaron,
Thank you for writing this article. Mental health is incredibly important and now more than ever during the pandemic. It sounds like you have struggled a lot with your mental health and while it is unfortunate that you did not receive the support you needed through the schools you attended, I am glad to hear you have a therapist you trust. It is also true that families often lack the means to pay out of pocket for therapists which is why it is important to offer these services at school. I urge you to explore our school resources more, however. In your article you mention that we have three psychologists and one therapist. I am one of five social workers at Wilson and I have been here for 6 years. During this time we have had a social worker per grade level every year and two for the Freshman class. We all offer individual and group counseling for our grade level. The psychologists you refer to do not do individual counseling but rather educational testing. The clinician you are referring to is our DBH clinician also who sees students directly. We also have a therapist from LAYC who sees students directly. Having 2,000 students and seven clinicians may not seem like enough, and yes, every school could use more, but we try to service as many students as we can who are struggling with a variety of mental health concerns.
Perhaps the issue may be that students need to be aware and reminded of our presence and the support services available to them. Knowing how to reach us when you need us seems to be a crucial issue that we, as a mental health team, will address. We usually attend the class meetings and parent meetings at the beginning of the year to introduce ourselves and we are listed directly on the website for students and families to find us. We also usually receive a lot of student referrals from teachers and from students whose peers are utilizing the service self refer.
I really appreciate that you are bringing this to light, though, because we want students to know we exist and are there to support them and I agree that we are a large school that does require multiple clinicians on staff. You can also check out our Instagram page (WilsonWellnessTeam) where I post information about mental illness, coping skills, and am open to messages from students who are struggling.
I hope you continue to get the support you need and should you need anything during the school day, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Take care.