“It'S All Inyour Head”: Black And Latinx Students' Mental Health Experiencesfrom The Perspective Of Their Counselors And Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze how counselors and teachers manage and perceive the mental health of black and Latinx students in a small urban school. The literature on American black and Latinx students’ mental health lacks qualitative research on how black and Latinx students’ counselors and teachers recognize their mental health problems and intervene in multiculturally sensitive ways. First, this study examined current research on how black and Latinx students’ mental health is affected by demographic stressors, ethnic identity, family, cultural stigma, and school environment. Second, this study reviewed current research on how counselors and teachers have helped their black and Latinx students’ mental health. Third, by using a case study approach, a sample of Texas charter high school’s counselors and teachers were selected for in-depth interview questions. The interviews were coded and analyzed through the interpretivist paradigm and grounded theory. The analysis showed that black and Latinx students experience unique, ethnically based mental health stressors and stigma. The research also confirmed that counselors and teachers who establish a strong, multiculturally sensitive relationship with their students and promote mental health awareness improve their black and Latinx students’ mental health. Based on the findings, it is recommended that all counselors and teachers follow the example of this case study’s educators.