School mental health professionals
School mental health professionals give support to adolescents in schools and educational institutions. School mental health professionals offer low threshold conversational support regarding a range of worries and concerns that may weigh on an adolescent’s mind. In addition, school mental health professionals carry out treatment periods in schools in cases of mental disorders.
Most often, pupils seek support from a school mental health professionals because of anxiety, nervousness, feelings of depression or problems related to going to school.
School mental health professionals work mainly in lower secondary schools (grades 7-9) and secondary level educational institutions. The school mental health professionals do individual appointments, consultations, network meetings and co-operate with the family. The aim of the discussions is to prevent difficulties related to growth and development, as well as crises caused by different situations in life, from becoming more serious in future.
The school mental health professionals co-operate e.g. with school health care, student welfare services, as well as the outpatient clinics for child and adolescent psychiatry.
Adolescents are usually referred to a school mental health professionals by a school nurse or another professional in student welfare.