MU Extension & Agricultural Information
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April 21, 2003


Distributed by
Greg Horstmeier
News Director
(573) 884-1846
horstmeierg@missouri.edu

Jeremy Diener
Sr. Information Specialist
MU News Bureau
(573) 882-9144
DienerJ@missouri.edu


New online degree offers understanding
of mental health issues in schools

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Each day in America, six youth under 20 commit suicide, according to the Children's Defense Fund, a leading independent children's advocacy group. Incidence rates of anxiety, depression, conduct problems and related troubles among children are at an all-time high. To help reverse these alarming trends, the University of Missouri-Columbia is launching the country's first online graduate degree program to help teachers and other school-based personnel focus on the prevention of mental health problems and promote positive mental health in children and adolescents.

The online Master of Education and Education Specialist degrees with an emphasis in mental health practices in schools gives educators, who have the most daily contact with children and adolescents, the tools to recognize mental illness before it becomes a serious problem.

"Teachers often spend more time with children than parents and are in key positions to prevent and identify mental health problems, as well as promote positive mental health among their students," said Karen Weston, assistant director of the MU Center for the Advancement of Mental Health Practices in Schools. "The days when all a teacher needed to know was the subject matter being taught and a few good classroom management strategies are gone."

Today, Weston says, students exhibit a wide range of problems associated with poverty, difficult family situations, violent neighborhoods, substance abuse, attention disorders and other issues that present obstacles to learning. The poor academic performance that accompanies these problems leads to further mental health difficulties creating a cycle that is difficult to break.

Recognizing this breakdown, the MU Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology, in close association with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, developed the online master's and specialist's programs with direct input from educators. It is available online so educators, administrators, nurses, counselors and other school personnel can pursue the degree without disrupting their careers. Courses from the programs will also be offered individually for those who do not wish to pursue the full degree.

"Our goal is to help address the mental health needs of students but also to help educators avoid the burnout that can occur when dealing with these issues along with the day-to-day tasks of education," said Linda Roebuck, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

For more information about the online degree programs and independent study courses, visit the Center for Advancement of Mental Health Practices in Schools at http://www.schoolmentalhealth.missouri.edu/.

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