Students’ mental health needs have changed as educators see behavior changes - WPXI Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH — From fights to social media threats, educators have been seeing a change in the behavior of young children and teenagers.

“There certainly has been a shift in the way adolescents are able to deal with some of the pressures that happen,” Sarah Beneigh, a school counselor at Butler High School, said.

As districts try to tackle the latest challenges in classrooms, they’re realizing there has been a change in the mental health needs of students.

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Beneigh said she’s seen students depressed or anxious during her 22-year career, but she’s seeing it more now than ever before.

“You see students who are coming in and just have lost their motivation, lost a direction,” Beneigh said.

Educators told 11 Investigates that the transition to in-class schooling has been more difficult than anticipated.

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“I think the pandemic has exasperated this. I think school closures have exasperated the mental health needs. But the mental health and behavioral needs, you know, are not just at the secondary schools where we sometimes see threats or fights. We’re seeing very young children with mental health,” Butler Area School District Superintendent Brian White said.

White’s district isn’t alone.

A South Hills superintendent said students see behaviors happening in society and online and they’re trickling into classrooms, along with the mental health challenges already there.

Mental health professional Dawn Halle, who works at Glade Run Lutheran Services, said it all relates back to social and emotional development that was put on hold during the last 18 months.

“Emotional stabilization for a lot of these kids had been stunted and just not supported while they were in the home,” Halle said. “They’re missing that piece, and it’s very vital to be able to have that, and it’s played into their emotional regulation and their inability to, again, socialize appropriately at that age level that you’re seeing more aggression. You’re seeing more fights, you’re seeing more suicide ideation or suicide attempts.”

More schools are now trying to connect students with the support they need.

“We’ve had an increase in referrals to our Student Assistance Program, and thus also an increase in referrals and requests for the in-school therapeutic services,” White said.

Every district in the state must offer a student assistance program. A team of teachers, counselors and administrators identifies students struggling and tries to help.

Last school year, more than 72,000 students were referred to districts’ programs, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Nearly 20,000 were elementary-age students.

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Students’ mental health needs have changed as educators see behavior changes - WPXI Pittsburgh
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