How Schools Should Approach Mental Health (with Carolyn D. Gorman)

Many schools today offer mental health programming, but according to Carolyn Gorman, a lot of school mental health programming is not only wasteful and ineffective but also directionally misguided: School mental health programming often targets students who don’t need help, pathologizes ordinary emotions, and fails to adequately help students with the most severe mental health problems.

On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Carolyn Gorman about school-based mental health. Nat and Carolyn discuss whether and why student mental health has gotten worse, what we do and don’t know about school-based mental health programming, what K–12 schools should do when it comes to mental health, whether the mental health landscape in higher education is similar to the mental health landscape in K–12 schools, and how schools can promote student mental health through ordinary routines and orderly school environments.

Carolyn D. Gorman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, where her research examines how policy changes in the U.S. impact individuals with mental illness.

This episode was produced by Elli Lucas.

Show Notes:

School-Based Mental Health Initiatives Challenges and Considerations for Policymakers

The Tradition and Limits of Campus Mental Health

Congress Is Treating Schools like Mental-Health Clinics

It’s Time For Schools To Get Out Of The Mental Health Business