Enhancing Students’ Mental Health: A Shared Responsibility Between Schools and the Community

Alia Mohammed – Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope)

Mental health is the cornerstone of building healthy societies and productive individuals. It is the psychological and emotional balance that enables a person to deal effectively with various aspects of life. An individual’s mental health is affected by multiple internal factors, such as genetic makeup and personal experiences, as well as external factors, including social, economic, and environmental factors. Climate change and conflicts, for example, play a significant role in exacerbating mental health problems among individuals.

The educational stage is one of the most important stages in an individual’s life, as their identity and skills are formed during this period. This stage faces many challenges, such as academic pressures, competition, and hormonal changes, making it a fertile environment for the emergence of mental health problems among students. This makes psychological support and mental health services in schools crucial.

The Role of School Mental Counselors

Schools play a vital role in the growth and development of students in various aspects, not just academically, but also in terms of mental health. This is achieved by providing them with psychological and moral support and creating a safe and positive school environment. The psychological support provided by the school to students positively affects their mental health and physical and intellectual growth. When students feel safe and supported, they become more able to cope with their challenges and pressures.

A.A.M, a primary school student, suffered greatly from bullying for a long time by her classmates due to her weight. This led to an increase in her negative feelings, a deterioration in her mental state, an increase in her aggressive behavior towards her colleagues, and eventually caused her to refuse to complete her education.

Her mother says: “Bullying is one of the most significant problems that students face in schools, and my daughter was one of the victims of this negative phenomenon. Many students are unaware of the concept of bullying and its negative effects on students and their academic achievement.”

She stressed the importance of having mental health professionals in schools to address students’ problems and provide them with the necessary psychological support.  She added, “The psychologist who was present at my daughter’s school contributed to enhancing her mental health and alleviated the severity of the negative impact she was suffering from as a result of bullying, by listening to her.”

She said, “If it weren’t for the presence of the psychologist at my daughter’s school, her psychological state would have been worse. The presence of mental health professionals in schools is crucial to prevent any psychological problems among students, as they played a major role in helping my daughter overcome her crisis.”

For her part, psychologist Shifa Abdul-Malik Al-Ansi confirms that schools play a major role in promoting students’ mental health at various academic and age levels. Schools directly influence students’ ability to learn, grow, and develop, and contribute to training them on how to treat each other with respect and appreciation and resolve disputes peacefully.

She added, “The role of the school lies in achieving psychological stability for the student, by providing a safe and stable school environment that helps the student feel comfortable and secure, enhances their self-confidence, and motivates them to learn. This is in addition to providing the necessary support to students who suffer from learning difficulties (special cases) and staying away from sources of psychological anxiety.”

“Bullying is one of the most dangerous problems facing schools, and it has serious psychological and social effects on students,” stressed the psychologist. She highlighted the importance of concerted efforts to combat bullying by educating students about the dangers of bullying and its negative effects on both the victim and the perpetrator and educating parents about the signs of bullying and how to deal with it.

She pointed out in her speech that psychological support programs in schools give students ample space to express the difficulties and challenges they face, by providing them with the necessary psychological services and listening to their school and even family problems that affect their academic achievement. The listening process contributes to bringing viewpoints closer and developing solutions and treatments that guarantee a supportive and healthy environment for the student and enhance their desire to complete their studies in the required manner with passion, love, and inner peace.

The psychologist stressed the importance of developing an integrated guidance program to enhance students’ mental health. This program should include awareness videos shown to students using appropriate display devices that address the psychological problems they are exposed to, discussing the content of the videos with them, involving them in developing solutions from their point of view, and working to guide students on the importance of releasing negative energy in positive ways.

Al-Ansi also indicated that providing qualified mental health professionals in schools helps to provide psychological support and services to students, solving their problems before they worsen and lead them to resort to negative methods such as violence or bullying. She emphasized that encouraging students to talk about their problems and discuss them with their peers and mental health professionals contributes to enhancing the culture of communication among them.

In a related context, psychotherapist Dr. Sakhr Taha confirmed that many students in Yemen suffer from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the crises they have gone through during the conflict.

He added, “Many young people and adolescents suffer from psychological problems, the roots of which often go back to deep psychological and emotional shocks they faced at an early age that they were unable to deal with properly. The matter becomes more difficult during adolescence, as biological and physical changes intersect with academic and social pressures, in addition to strict rules and unfair expectations from family and society.”

He pointed out the importance of the pivotal role of schools in mitigating the severity of these problems and promoting the mental health of students by providing specialized psychological and emotional support programs, especially in the primary and preparatory educational stages.

He explained that psychological support programs work effectively in reducing negative behaviors, such as bullying, aggression, and anxiety among students. They also help create a safe and supportive school environment that enhances students’ sense of belonging and acceptance. Additionally, they contribute to spreading awareness of the importance of mental health and encourage students to seek help when needed.

School Mental Health Support Programs

Psychologist Laymoon Muhammad emphasizes the close link between students’ good mental health and their academic excellence. Young people who enjoy stable mental health are more able to focus and be motivated, allowing them to get the most out of their education and achieve excellent academic results.

“Therefore, many schools pay great attention to providing mental health support services and psychological counseling to their students. It is noted that these services are provided more effectively in private schools, while government schools face difficulties in providing them due to the increasing number of students and the lack of financial and human resources allocated to mental health,” Laymoon mentioned.

She added, “The lack of government support for schools and the lack of community awareness among some families and students about the concept of psychological treatment and its importance, considering it a stigma in front of society – prevented many families, parents, and even students from seeking help when needed.”

She continued, “Mental health support programs in schools enhance students’ academic and personal life skills, communication skills, and problem-solving skills by analyzing problems, identifying solutions in creative and effective ways, and making decisions by evaluating available options and making sound decisions that positively impact their lives. They also contribute to promoting positive behavior and respect for diversity, reducing bullying, providing opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, and studying and evaluating the general psychological state of students to create a safe and supportive school environment.”

Many mental health programs can be implemented in schools, ranging from psychological support and counseling services provided to students. These programs vary from one school to another depending on the needs and available resources.

Laymoon highlighted key programs, including preventive mental health programs, which are among the most important forms of emotional and psychological support programs for students in schools. They are conducted through seminars and workshops that discuss mental health concepts, signs of psychological issues, how to seek help, and how to cope with stress.

Early intervention programs are also crucial. They use questionnaires and interviews to identify psychological issues among students early on, actively listen to the target groups, provide advice, and offer guidance.

She added, “Involving the family in the intervention process has a significant impact on supporting students’ mental health. This aims to enhance communication with parents and provide them with guidance on how to support their children to ensure that students receive the support they need.”

She stressed the need to provide psychological and emotional support programs for students that take into account their individual and cultural needs and are implemented by qualified professionals trained to deal with psychological problems in different age groups, including students with disabilities, gifted students, and new students. She also emphasized the need to ensure the confidentiality of information related to students to create a safe environment where they feel comfortable expressing their feelings.

Challenges and Solutions

Yemeni schools face significant challenges in meeting the vital needs necessary to facilitate the provision of psychological and emotional support to their students. This hinders their efforts to enhance the health and well-being of future generations. These challenges include the lack of adequately trained and qualified mental health specialists in many schools, limiting their ability to provide necessary individual and group support. Additionally, there is a shortage of financial resources, making it difficult for schools to allocate adequate budgets for developing mental health programs and implementing effective initiatives that meet the diverse needs of students.

To address these challenges, it is essential to provide financial and technical support to schools; this support should aim to enhance their capacities in the field of mental health, including providing training programs for mental health professionals and developing effective psychological support programs.

Strengthen collaboration between schools and local health and social institutions; this collaboration should aim to build community partnerships that contribute to providing integrated services to students, including awareness programs on the importance of mental health and psychological support to students and their families.