Yikes!
This is the main social problem affecting high school students in Compton Unified.
What is suicidal ideation/mental health issues
Compton lost funding for schools after many wealthier (often white) residents moved away. This is called:
What is white flight?
These students in Compton Unified are most affected by the problem.
What are high school students?
Compton Unified created this district-wide program to support students’ mental health.
What is the Wellness Initiative?
The main idea of your solution is to increase this for schools.
What is funding? $$$
This setting is the main place where students are expected to receive mental health support.
What are schools?
In the past, schools used this instead of helping students with mental health.
What is punishment (discipline/suspensions)?
Most students in Compton Unified belong to these two racial/ethnic groups.
What are Latino and Black students?
These on-campus spaces give students walk-in support, counseling, and group therapy.
What are Wellness Centers?
More funding would help schools hire more of these workers.
What are mental health professionals (counselors, social workers)?
Many students are not getting enough of this kind of help in schools.
What is mental health support?
This student lived on the roof of a school cafeteria after experiencing severe trauma, highlighting systemic failure.
Peter P.
Staff and counselors may feel this when too many students need help.
What is stress (or being overwhelmed)?
This framework used by school districts like CUSD organizes mental health services into three levels.
What is a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)?
The goal is to help students get support earlier, also known as this.
What is early intervention?
This belief that people should “just handle their problems” can prevent students from seeking help.
What is stigma (or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mindset)?
When schools only deal with mental health problems after they get really serious, this type of system is being described.
What is a reactive (crisis-based) system?
Students from these types of communities are more likely to face mental health challenges due to stress and limited resources.
What are low-income (or disadvantaged) communities?
This evidence-based therapy is designed specifically for adolescents with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, helping them identify negative thinking patterns, build coping skills, and create safety plans for crises.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP)?
Our plan includes working with outside groups, also known as this.
What are partnerships (collaboration)?
Schools don’t have enough money to support students, which is called this.
What is underfunding?
Even when schools create wellness centers, they can’t fully run them because of this problem.
What is limited funding?
Students in this community may have trouble getting help because of language barriers between families and schools.
What are students from Spanish-speaking (or multilingual) families?
This school-based suicide prevention program teaches students to recognize warning signs and use the ACT model: Acknowledge, Care, and Tell a trusted adult
What is the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program?
More funding would help expand these centers in schools.
What are wellness centers?