Educators' perceptions of youth mental health: Implications for training and the promotion of mental health services in schools

A majority of participants take students' mental health issues seriously and many feel that current resources and training opportunities could be expanded. An area of future research could be exploring current mental health trainings provided to educators and examine how their specific training needs are addressed. An important strategy to decrease mental health care disparity by geographic region may be statewide initiatives to increase the number of mental health professionals in rural areas. The discrepancy in the level of mental health concerns expressed by teachers and administrators may suggest a need for school-wide initiatives to foster shared commitments to promoting students' mental health across various staff roles.