The Struggle with Anxiety in Schools: A Closer Look at School Psychologists’ Role

by Jon Scaccia May 7, 2024

Anxiety disorders are increasingly common among children and adolescents, affecting approximately 32% of U.S. youth. These disorders can lead to significant psychological distress and impact a student’s social and academic performance. Amidst rising rates of anxiety, particularly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have become critical venues for delivering mental health services. However, despite the proven effectiveness of exposure-based interventions for treating anxiety, a recent survey reveals that these strategies are underutilized by school psychologists due to a combination of insufficient training, negative perceptions, and logistical challenges.

What Are Exposure-Based Interventions?

Exposure-based interventions, commonly known as “exposures,” involve helping individuals confront and gradually learn to tolerate the anxiety associated with specific fears or situations without engaging in avoidance behaviors. This therapeutic technique is central to treating various anxiety disorders and is backed by extensive research validating its efficacy. However, the transition from clinical evidence to school-based application appears to be fraught with hurdles.

Survey Insights: Training and Attitudes Toward Exposures

The study, conducted among 318 school psychologists across the U.S., highlights several critical insights:

• Over 50% of the psychologists reported not using exposures in their practice.
• About 80% harbor negative beliefs about the intervention, particularly concerning its acceptability to parents and its implementation feasibility within the school setting.
• The major barriers identified include a lack of time, insufficient training, and limited access to training materials.

These findings underscore a gap between the recognition of exposure therapy’s benefits and its practical application within educational settings.

Implications for Parents and Mental Health Professionals

For parents, understanding the potential of exposure-based therapies can be empowering. It opens avenues to advocate for more comprehensive training programs in schools and better mental health resources that align with empirical research.

For school mental health professionals, the survey serves as a call to action to enhance exposure therapy training and address misconceptions. Enhancing confidence in these methods through better training could significantly improve their deployment in schools, thus providing children with more effective tools to manage anxiety.

Toward a Solution: Enhancing Training and Shifting Perceptions

To bridge the gap between knowledge and practice, it is essential to:

1. Improve the Quality and Accessibility of Training: Integrating exposure-based therapy training into the curriculum for school psychologists can foster a more profound understanding and skillful application of these interventions.
2. Address Negative Perceptions: Educational programs need to counteract prevalent myths about exposure therapy, such as its supposed distress to students, and highlight its safety and effectiveness.
3. Adapt Interventions to School Settings: Tailoring exposure practices to fit the unique needs and constraints of schools can make them more applicable and less daunting for psychologists to implement.

Engage with Us!

As we continue to explore effective interventions for anxiety in school settings, your insights and experiences are invaluable. Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below, and let’s discuss how we can collectively enhance our children’s mental health services in schools.

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