1

School-Based Mental Health Counseling with Black Males in Title I Elementary School

Galaxina G. Wright

Nova Southeastern University

 2

In a study that explored Black youth suicide, (Sheftall et al., 2020) found a total of 1,810

deaths by suicide from 2003 to 2017, with 1,299 of those deaths identified as Black males. They

also found that mental health concerns, relationship issues, interpersonal trauma and life

stressors, and prior suicidal thoughts/behavior were primary clinical characteristics (Sheftall et

al., 2020). Further, Bernard asserts that Black male youth are more likely to report multiple

ACEs in comparison to their White counterparts, with increases for those residing in low

socioeconomic communities (Bernard et al., 2020) . Though research has demonstrated a

significant need for Black male youth’s mental health to be addressed, there continues to be a

disconnect in them receiving adequate mental health services, particularly within school systems.

To address this need, our study investigated changes in Black male children’s (N = 22)

psychosocial functioning who participated in a school-based mental health counseling

intervention within three Title I elementary schools (Cenat, 2020). Utilizing service-learning

methods, we implemented counseling sessions with practicum students from a local university

and provided interactive, child centered therapy within the school setting to eliminate guardian

barriers, such as transportation and childcare. This allowed for several benefits including (a)

providing youth with needed clinical services at no cost, (b) providing additional aid to the

limited and strained mental health staff within these schools, (c) our practicum students gaining

supervised clinical experience working with diverse and vulnerable populations. We collected

the participating children’s psychosocial functioning data before their first counseling session,

after the fifth session, and again after the tenth session. The results of the analyses identified that

the participants’ emotional and social behaviors changed over time, per parent report (η2 = .214).

This study provides valuable implications for mental health professionals working with Black

male youth in school systems and highlights the effectiveness of school-based mental health
 3

interventions in addressing the psychosocial needs of this vital population. This study's findings

also suggest that interventions focused on improving social-emotional functioning can have

significant positive impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of Black male youth. Finally, this

study contributes to the Implementing Innovative Service Delivery Methods in Schools special

issue, due to its emphasis on a school-based service delivery model that incorporates culturally

responsive methods in schools and generalizability to diverse groups.

 4

References

Bernard, Donte L., et al. “Making the “C-ACE” for a Culturally-Informed Adverse Childhood

Experiences Framework to Understand the Pervasive Mental Health Impact of Racism on

Black Youth.” Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, vol. 14, no. 14, 11 Aug. 2020,

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-020-00319-9.

Cénat, J. M. (2020). “How to Provide Anti-Racist Mental Health Care.” The Lancet Psychiatry,

vol. 7, no. 11, July 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30309-6.

Sheftall, Arielle H., et al. “Black Youth Suicide: Investigation of Current Trends and

Precipitating Circumstances.” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent

Psychiatry, vol. 61, no. 5, Sept. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.08.021.