Not many young students will volunteer information, unprompted, about feelings of depression or their recent experimentation with drugs.
That s why advocates, school employees and lawmakers are pushing for regular screenings of students at the middle- and high-school levels, as long as their parents consent.
With a caseload of 400 students, counselor Cristina Puri at Lincoln Park Middle School typically wouldn t end up seeing a troubled student until someone else sensed an issue or the student was presenting outward signs in class.
Her school is one of a couple in the Garden State testing out a model known as SBIRT Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment. Since November, 50 students were screened in a way that s meant to pick up on the need for mental health services or the severity of substance use.
NJ advocates want yearly student screenings for drugs, depression 1057thehawk.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 1057thehawk.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.