Teachers want more knowledge and skills to handle students’ mental health problems, according to a new doctoral thesis.
Stine Margrethe Ekornes at the University of Oslo has investigated teachers’ views on mental health in schools, according to the newspaper Bergens Tidende.
– There is a huge pressure on teachers today. We need to be responsive to them on this issue, so it is not perceived as insurmountable, says Ekornes. She explains that teachers feel “helpless, stressed and worried.”
– It may be difficult for them to see that students have psychological problems, especially if the pupil hides problems. They are unsure of what to do and how to proceed, she explains.
She says teachers feel time pressures are a problem and say they also call for training in mental health as part of their education and when they are out in the teaching profession.
– After working with teacher training for 12 years, my experience is that the topic of mental health has been relatively poorly represented.
It is confirmed in this study, said Ekornes.
According to a Public Health Report of 2014, 15 to 20 percent of children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years have mental health problems that go beyond their learning capacity and social life.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
