As mental health problems surge, the Department of Education has approved a 13.5 million dollar grant to help fund specialists in FCPS schools. The grant was awarded in January of 2023, and in March of 2023, FCPS said they would begin “robust recruitment efforts & hiring of qualified staff” and “Provide PD funding to SBMH (school-based mental health professionals) staff”.

By providing for the employment of more SBMH the grant seeks to improve the quality of mental health support provided to the student body, as there has been a shortage of qualified school psychologists and counselors. NASP recommends a 1:500 student-psychologist ratio, while the national average is 1:1211.

“I do see this as a positive turn because it is giving students more access to qualified mental health resources, which can be especially helpful to students whose parents don’t believe in therapy,” Our Minds Matter co-student leader sophomore Camille Dausch said. “It also helps students reach larger help, who can, I believe, grant things such as 504s.” 

The FCPS website stated that the grant will be used to recruit mental health specialists to work in schools. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the rate of FCPS students feeling “sad or hopeless.” According to Fairfax County Youth Survey results from 2021, 38% of FCPS students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade reported feeling this way. This number has risen in the last few years, and went from 30% of students in 2019 to 38% in 2021. While this is below the national average, it is still an upwards trend.

“It’s just a level of anxiety, I think, and stress and pressure of our high achievement culture here,” school psychologist Kristina Crawford said. “And I think it’s really kind of skyrocketed. Those levels of stress, people feeling depressed sort of lack availability in terms of mental health support.”

There are several reasons for this rise in numbers involving the increase in negative feelings among students. For one, people are feeling the aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic, which, during its peak in 2021, had 44% of teens in the U.S. feeling “sad or hopeless,” according to a study by the CDC. Another factor is the rise of social media in the past few years. According to ACAP, 90% of 13-17 year olds use social media, which has greatly affected mental health in teens, who constantly worry over how many “likes” or “follows” they have, or how they look compared to people online. 

Also a contributor is the general stigma around mental illness. However, the school’s Our Minds Matter club is working to stop this way of thinking. 

“The club’s really designed to reduce the stigma around mental health,” Crawford said. “I’ve actually seen this as a positive development over the last several years, that people are more open to and willing to share their mental health concerns and issues.”

Our Minds Matter tries to impact people’s lives on a more personal scale, like leaving encouraging notes on lockers or putting crisis hotlines. The club has been helpful in supporting students’ emotional well-being before the mental health grant is fully implemented.

“I fully believe that Our Minds Matter has a positive benefit on the school,” Dausch said. “In high school, many students are afraid of feeling judged, but going to a place with people struggling like you do, or who are coming just to support people struggling, can very positively benefit them.” 

Many see the grant as a good sign of change coming and a big step for FCPS.

“I do see this as a positive turn because it is giving students more access to qualified mental health resources, which can be especially helpful to students whose parents don’t believe in therapy,” Dausch said. “It also helps students reach larger help, who can I believe can grant things such as 504’s.”