Part two of a two-part report
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In connection with Prince George’s County Public Schools Board of Education’s concern that county schools need more mental health services, Greenbelt schools bring those issues forward.
Greenbelt Elementary
Greenbelt Elementary School (GES) welcomed a school therapist, Jasmine Stokes, in December. Kristin Cahalan-Hudson, the professional school counselor, told the News Review that she’s seen an increase in the need for mental health services for students as well as their families. Outside providers often have long waitlists, she noted, so it can be challenging to access support and services.
Cahalan-Hudson said she was overjoyed to have another mental health professional in the building. “Her role at GES,” she said, “is to provide counseling sessions for students as a traditional therapist would normally do. This means that she provides a full treatment plan including goals and working collaboratively with the families.” Stokes is contracted to the school through an agency and sees about 20 students in regular weekly sessions as well as providing check-ins for other students who don’t see her regularly. She is a 12-month employee and remains available to provide services to students and families during school holidays.
Cahalan-Hudson, as a counselor, seeks to address the mindset and behaviors in the areas of learning strategies, self-management skills and social skills. She uses direct services and indirect ones to do so. Direct services include individual, crisis, classroom and small group counseling, as well as whole-school or grade-specific activities or assemblies, she explained. Indirect services include working with the school instructional team on academic, attendance and social needs, accommodation plans, attendance monitoring and the associated meetings and paperwork. They can also include distributing materials such as backpacks, coats, hats, holiday meals and gifts.
“The [American School Counselor Association recommends] a professional school counselor have a 250:1 ratio in order to best service the needs of students and their families,” said Cahalan-Hudson, “I am so thankful to now have another mental health provider in the building. However, […] her caseload, in order for her to provide the best services she can, tops out at 20 students.”
Eleanor Roosevelt High
Dr. Marisha Stewart, professional school counselor at Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS), told the News Review, “There is a huge need for more mental health services within our community, county and state levels.”
“School counselors are often misinterpreted as therapists,” said Stewart, “but we do not have the credentials to meet the needs of post-pandemic issues. We have been overwhelmed with students in need of mental health services who need support outside of the building.” The county has provided the school with one social worker who meets with students each week. “But 1:2500 is still not enough,” said Stewart, who also noted that Hazel Health has a limited number of appointments available for online counseling.
“Greenbelt CARES is our main community agency that we refer our students [to] but they do not have the manpower to meet all the needs in the community,” shared Stewart. “Unfortunately, many parents have talked about waitlists, which is becoming a problem when our students need help now. Post pandemic we have seen an increase [in] students experiencing anxiety, school anxiety, depression, OCD, suicidal ideation and disinterest in school,” Stewart explained.
Stewart would also like to see support put in place for parents. “I believe parents feel overwhelmed, as well, in the process and they are forgotten. They do not have the help they need. As a result, we need parent workshops to help support parents and give them tools on how to raise a child who is experiencing mental health challenges,” said Stewart.
Other Greenbelt Schools
Greenbelt Middle School confirmed that they have a professional school counselor for each grade level, a total of three. Dora Kennedy French Immersion School has two professional school counselors – one for students in elementary school and one for those in middle school. They also have various therapists who come in at different times, including an occupational therapist and two psychotherapists. Springhill Lake Elementary would not disclose what kind of support or staffing they have in place. Reached by phone, a representative said they “cannot answer any questions about anything,” and referred the News Review to Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) with any inquiries. Their website lists two school counselors and one school psychologist; however, no one responded to email inquiries and the psychologist’s email address was undeliverable.
“I see PGCPS heading in the right direction with the support they are putting in place for students,” said GES Counselor Cahalan-Hudson. “As with any large system, further growth and development of systems and services will only benefit future generations of Prince George’s County residents.”