Engaging in political leadership and macrolevel advocacy: School counselors leading for student mental wellness

School counseling prevention programming to address social determinants of mental health

“…Finally, it is the responsibility of the school counselor to actively advocate for changes to the oppressive systems within the larger society and ecology that create SDOMH (Haskins & Singh, 2017; Ratts et al., 2007). Keeping students at the center of the daily purpose of school counselors requires us all to advocate efficiently and effectively to change our own practices of unintentionally perpetuating oppression (Dollarhide & Lemberger‐Truelove, 2019; Lopez‐Perry & Whitson, 2022).…”

“…The school counselor‐professional organization collaboration can be beneficial in increasing direct services that students may need and supporting larger initiatives to remove barriers for all students (Johnson et al., 2023). Keeping the student and their needs at the center of the conversation is key to advocating efficiently and effectively at a systemic level (Lopez‐Perry & Whitson, 2022).…”

“…A possible entry point for school counselors to become more politically active is through voting, tracking local bills that influence student life, and increasing their personal knowledge regarding issues that may cause SDOMH. The larger political terrain may seem difficult to maneuver; however, with practice and professional organizations like National Board of Certified Counselors, ACA, and ASCA, this advocacy may be more comfortable as school counselors are advocating at a system level (Lopez‐Perry & Whitson, 2022; Ratts et al., 2007). This could also include advocating at a legislative level for changes to address other issues affecting students and their communities, including the school‐to‐prison pipeline that impacts all areas of SDOMH (Welfare et al., 2021), equitable housing opportunities, and access to affordable nutritional resources.…”

“…The SDOMH are recognized as a significant contributor to youth mental health challenges (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). In line with the developmental, wellness, and preventive approaches of the counseling profession (Myers, 1992), school counselors should address SDOMH through holistic and collaborative approaches that promote equity and support the prevention of mental health problems in schools (Johnson & Brookover, 2021; Lopez‐Perry & Whitson, 2022; O'Reilly et al., 2018). Through their roles as leaders, advocates, consultants, and collaborators, school counselors should focus on bolstering individual and community capacity, strengths, and resources to prevent adverse mental health outcomes and enhance the quality of life for all students (Friedli et al., 2009; O'Mara & Lind, 2013).…”

“…Schools are ideal locations to address youth mental health promotion and prevention because the onset of mental health challenges often occurs during childhood and the majority of children's time during the school year is spent in schools (i.e., minimally 30 h a week). School counselors are an integral part of mental health promotion and prevention in schools in their roles as leaders, advocates, and mentors/support for students and teachers (Geiger & Oehrtman, 2020; Leibowitz‐Nelson et al., 2020; Lopez‐Perry & Whitson, 2022). In addition, schools have multidisciplinary teams of providers that can support youth, families, and communities through a shared agenda (Weist et al., 2014).…”