According to WHO, about one in seven adolescents (ages 10–19) experiences a mental disorder. This accounts for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group. Isn’t it a statistic worthy of urgent attention, and a call to action for how schools can support students’ mental health? Indeed, it is important, and we can all agree.
Thus, in light of the growing concerns around student well-being, this blog will focus on how schools affect mental health and what practices can be adopted or improved. With small changes, big results can make a difference in the lives of students.
Importance of Students’ Mental Heath
The conversation around how to improve mental health in schools is growing, but the reasons why it’s important are still often given too little thought.
Below, we’ve mentioned the reasons why student mental health is too important to ignore:
- Builds self-confidence: To have faith in their own abilities and decisions.
- Improves academic performance: To perform their best without being overwhelmed by stress.
- Enhances social connection: To build good friendships and learn to respect others’ feelings at school.
- Reduces long-term risks: Early encouragement can help keep anxiety, depression and burnout under control well into the future.
- Shapes future wellbeing: Looking after mental health from when someone is young helps them with stable future.
How Schools Affect Mental Health
Ways school affects mental health are often overlooked, yet schools shape how kids feel about themselves every single day. From their first arrival on school grounds until they leave, children’s emotions are molded by dozens of interactions that may impact them in different ways.
- Struggling to fit in or find a sense of belonging
- Academic pressure and fear of failure
- Strict rules with little room for self-expression
- Comparison with others in grades or achievements
- Lack of access to supportive adults who truly listen
Think about it – where do most kids spend their weekdays? At school. It’s where friendships form, where they face challenges, and where they figure out who they are. A recent parent survey showed that nearly 76% of families worry about how school pressure affects their children’s mental health, especially during exam seasons and social transitions.
Did you know: Students who struggle with mental health are 3 times more likely to drop out before graduation.
Want to help your students build essential emotional skills? Explore our PSHE curriculum modules designed specifically for today’s classroom challenges.
Take a quick walkthrough to see how it fits into your workflow
Effective Strategies for Promoting Mental Health in Schools
If you want to make student life healthier and balanced, check out these suggestions/tips on how to improve mental health of students:
- Mindful Mornings: A few minutes of quiet or breathing exercises at the start of the day often helps students calm down and get ready. Playing gentle, relaxing music as they start to relax can help a lot.
- Quiet Corners: Having an area in the classroom where students can withdraw if they want some time alone. Add things like coloring pages, stress balls, or a comfy chair.
- Movement Breaks: Between lessons, let students stretch, do a quick dance, or even just walk around. It helps them recharge and stay focused.
- Gratitude Journals: Between lessons, let students stretch, do a quick dance, or even just walk around. It helps them recharge and stay focused.
- Peer Support Circles: Set up small weekly check-ins where students can talk and listen to each other. Feeling heard by friends can really ease stress.
Strengthen Support with School Counseling Services
The solution to how to help students with mental health issues starts with having enough trained counselors who can get to know the students well. Many schools have just one counselor trying to support 200+ students, which makes meaningful help nearly impossible.
What can schools do to help mental health support systems thrive is ensure appropriate counselor to student ratios. The American Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 1:250, yet the national average stands at 1:415. Closing this gap should be a priority for schools committed to mental wellness.
When students see visiting the counselor as just another part of school life – like going to the library, they’re more likely to speak up when they’re struggling. Schools that create drop-in hours and comfortable counseling spaces find that students use these resources before small problems become big ones.
Real-word success looks like:
- Regular check-ins with all students, not just the ones who seem to be struggling.
- Easy ways like Digital appointment scheduling with counselors through zoom calls or google meet and sign-up sheets.
- Private spaces where students feel safe talking about tough challenges.
- Systems to spot patterns (like increased absences) that might signal someone needs help.
- Counselors who understand different cultural backgrounds.
You may also like: The Hidden PSHE Crisis No One’s Talking About
How Teachers Can Help Students with Mental Health Issues
These tips may help guide teachers on how they can help students with mental issues.
- Create Space for Students to Speak Up. Let students know from the beginning that you are willing and able to listen. Taking time to have a quick one-on-one chat can greatly help a person. So, don’t make judgments while actively listening.
- Start with a Wellbeing Check-In. Before jumping into lessons or new content, take a moment to check how students are really doing. Start small by giving them chances to reconnect with classmates, take short breaks, or move around during the day.
- Encourage Questions and Honest Conversations. It’s common for students to seek answers about news and personal matters, not only about academic topics. Rather than ignoring them, have transparent, age-suitable talks with your child.
- Let Students Shape Their Environment. Another great way to support mental well-being is to involve students in shaping their own environment. Ask them how the classroom could feel more welcoming or calm. They may bring up new ideas!
- Foster a Safe, Supportive Routine. Greet students warmly, use consistent schedules, and celebrate small wins. Make time for class discussions where everyone can share something about their day.
Also read: School Counseling Resources: Your Complete 2025 Playbook for Transforming Student Success
The Role of Parents and the Broader Community in Supporting Mental Health
In the bigger conversation about how schools can support students’ mental health, we also need to talk about the role of parents in caring for their child’s emotional well-being.
Research shows that students with emotionally supportive parents are 22% less likely to show signs of anxiety at school. Still, many parents—without meaning to—fall into old habits like being too focused on success or not really listening.
It helps to pause and ask: Am I truly connecting with my child? Instead of just checking on homework, ask how their day felt. Spend a few minutes of undistracted time with them. Even small moments of attention can build trust and emotional safety.
Broader community support includes everyone who interacts with children regularly, like neighbors, extended family, and more. Why? Because when kids feel supported in all parts of their life—not just at home or school. For instance, something as small as a coach checking in after practice or a librarian recommending a comforting book can have a real impact.
Overcoming Challenges in Supporting Mental Health in Schools
What can schools do to help mental health when there’s never enough time, money, or staff?
This is the question that keeps principals and school counselors up at night. The good news is that some schools have found creative solutions that don’t require massive budgets.
The first step is acknowledging the obstacles that many institutions face. The limited budgets, staff training gaps, competing priorities, and lingering stigma around mental health discussions are a few of them.
Innovative schools are finding ways to overcome these challenges through creative resource allocation and community partnerships. For example, the “Mental Health Matters” initiative in Colorado schools redistributed existing funds to train all staff, not just counselors, in recognizing warning signs of emotional distress. This created a whole community of supportive adults without requiring significant new funding.
Another successful strategy involves technology integration. Digital screening tools can help counselors, identify at-risk students earlier. Schools in rural areas have particularly benefited from these approaches, seeing a 43% increase in service utilization after implementing virtual counseling options.
Did you know: Schools that implement universal mental health screening identify 40% more students needing support compared to referral-only systems. Moreover, Students are often more comfortable talking to trained peers than adults about mental health concerns
Discover how Cialfo’s – PSHE curriculum can help identify students who need support before crisis strikes. Get started today.
Conclusion
We hope you found valuable insights on how schools can support students’ mental health in ways that work.
There’s no magic solution, but the schools making the biggest difference share one thing in common: they’ve stopped treating mental health as an “extra” and started seeing it as essential as math or reading. Consequently, schools that invest in mental wellbeing are being smart, as their students show up more, learn better and cause fewer problems.
Want to transform your school’s approach to mental health?
