Cultural Competence & Mental Health in Schools

In every public school in Chittenden County, there are students of diverse ethnic, cultural, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds.  There are students from non-traditional families, and those with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. While the "cultural mainstream" may look different, even among our nine Chittenden County school districts, each district is educating a broad diversity of students. 

No matter what the mainstream culture may look like, children and families who live outside of that mainstream are at an increased risk of developing mental health concerns because of related social stressors.  For a complexity of reasons, many of these children and families are not linked with any formal mental health services.    As our mental health system works to increase its understanding of and responsiveness to the diversity of children and families in our community, schools are often called upon to help identify and support children and families from diverse backgrounds who may have unaddressed mental health related issues.  This responsibility is made more challenging by the fact that there is significant cultural variance in how mental health issues are manifest and how they are communicated. 

Coming soon! More information about mental health and culture in Chittenden County.

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