ARTICLE DATEARTICLE AUTHOR AUTHOR EMAIL February 01, 2021
Just over one month into 2021, political polarization and tensions in America have reached a new high. In this environment, is it possible to have constructive conversations with family, friends and neighbors on the “other side”? What is the point of even trying to have these conversations?
Rachel Wahl, an associate professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development, studies dialogue between people with opposing beliefs, seeking to shed light on both its benefits and its limitations.
Importantly, dialogue is not debate – it’s not about constructing the best argument to change someone’s mind. True deliberative dialogue, Wahl says, is a reasoned discussion about a political issue where both participants are genuinely seeking to better understand each other’s perspective.
Virginia leaders think it might be time for a more holistic approach. A new statewide project, the Virginia Partnership for School Mental Health, aims to strengthen school mental health services through two major pathways: by building a pipeline of graduate student trainees to high-need school divisions, and by creating an inter-professional network of school mental health practitioners.
Funded by a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the partnership between the Virginia Department of Education and the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development was announced last year.
Now, after eight months meeting with providers on the ground, identifying mental health needs and refining the project structure, the first efforts are underway to turn a fragmented system into a robust network of mental health services.