We began by observing exactly what the research has long told us : Teachers feel responsible for the social and emotional health of students and often have insufficient training, support, and emotional capacity to feel effective in this regard. What we learned made us pause and reconsider our roles as school-based clinicians, particularly now during the pandemic. Meanwhile, in the last eight years, we gained a front-row seat to the heaviness of teacher stress and its impact on students. Schools eagerly signed on for us to offer on-campus mental health care to their pre-K-12 students who needed it most. When we launched our program in 2013, our mission was to increase access to child psychologists and psychiatrists in areas hardest hit by systemic oppression and adversity. Our work at the MedStar Georgetown Center for Wellbeing in School Environments, or WISE, has followed a similar trajectory. After all, the relationship between teacher and student stress goes in both directions. And while the focus of these supports has historically centered on students, educator well-being is a critical piece of the equation for thriving and successful young people. The pandemic has added greater urgency to the education world’s steadily growing awareness of the importance of mental well-being in the classroom. The spotlight on mental health’s role in education is expanding.
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