5 MAIN SKILLS OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Self-awareness

Social awareness

Responsible decision-making

Self-management

Relationship skills regular caseload eventually became 25% of the student body. However, as the number of student interventions went up, the number of suicide ideations went down: in the 2022-23 school year, the suicide ideation average on a school campus in Texas was approximately 20%, while Brazoswood’s was 1.8%. Library programs also benefited from the SEL focus — students came to the library in higher numbers and circulation increased from 1,660 books checked out in 2020-2021 to 5,374 in the 2022-2023 school year.

When students feel supported and safe and have their mental health needs met, they no longer exist in survival mode and are able to focus on educational successes and the things that make school fun!

Rachael Welsh is the librarian at Sablatura Middle School in Pearland, Texas. She can be found on Instagram at @rachaelreads

Kelsie McLeod is an experienced Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), National Board Certified Counselor (NCC), and a child and adolescent mental health specialist with many years of clinical practice in providing individual and group therapy to diverse populations. She can be found on Instagram at @kelsiemcleodcounseling or through her website www.kelsiemcleodcounseling.com.

References

Left: (l-r) Rachael Welsh and Kelsie McLeod will be presenting a session on Social Emotional Learning at TLA 2025 in Dallas.

America’s Health Rankings United Health Foundations. (2023). Teen Suicide. Retrieved on January 31, 2023 from https://www. americashealthrankings.org/explore/health-of-women-and-children/ measure/teen_suicide/state/TX.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). (2021). Mental Health in Texas, Texas State Fact Sheet. Retrieved on January 30, 2023 from https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/ StateFactSheets/TexasStateFactSheet.pdf

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). (2019). What You Need To Know About Youth Suicide. Retrieved on January 31, 2023 from https:// www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults/ What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Youth-Suicide

The US Surgeon General’s Advisory. (2021). Protecting Youth Mental Health. Retrieved on August 18, 2024 from https://www.hhs.gov/ sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-healthadvisory.pdf.

Texas Health and Human Services. (2023). Mental Health & Substance Use, Stigma and Mental Health. Retrieved on January 30, 2023 from https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/mental-health-substanceuse.

Texas Hospital Association. (2023). Issues, Workforce. Retrieved on January 30, 2023 from https://www.tha.org/issues/ workforce/#:~:text=More%20than%2080%20percent%20 of,are%20not%20currently%20being%20met