June 11, 2018

Linda Hunt Williams

N.C. House of Representatives
300 N Salisbury Street, Room 603
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
919-733-2962
Linda.Williams@ncleg.net

Ms. Williams,

I am writing, as a school counselor in Holly Springs, to advocate on behalf of WCPSS

students, families, and community members for the increase of mental health professionals in our
schools.

First, I would like to express my appreciation for your dedication to Holly Springs, to our
community, and to the quality education of our children. Your commitment to fostering
partnerships and resources to establish safe learning environments and varied instruction are
commendable. As a school counselor it is my role to support students in removing barriers to
their learning, and it is imperative to have stakeholders such as you, our administrators, and our
student’s families supporting this effort as well.

In order to remove barriers to learning, and establish safe and productive environments
for student learning, we have to address mental health concerns in our schools. According to the
National Alliance on Mental Health, 1 in 5 children ages 13-18 in the United States have or will
have a serious mental illness, and there is an average 10 year gap between the onset of the mental
illness and the delivery of an intervention (NAMI). In the education system we know that when
it comes to interventions for success in learning, it is more effective and prevalent to start early.
School counselors play an essential role in closing this gap and supporting the growing need for
mental health resources in school.

The position of “school counselor” in our education system is an evolving role, becoming
more consistent and aligned with a single national model in order to meet the needs of students.
Stigmatizing attitudes, lack of resources, and low mental health literacy are links to social
adversity and tend to prevent children and adolescents from seeking help they need (Salerno,
2016). School counselors aim to normalize attention and awareness of mental health by
implementing comprehensive programs in schools that target the academic, social/emotional, and
vocational needs of students through many forms of delivery (ASCA, 2012). Research has found
that it is possible to improve rates of individuals seeking mental health support by using these
school-based mental health awareness interventions (Salerno, 2016).
 The current ratio of school counselors to students in WCPSS Elementary Schools is
1:750, a shocking disparity from the recommended 1:250 ratio by the American School
Counselor Association (ASCA, 2012). I implore you to consider the pressure this places on
school counselors across the county, aiming to provide high-quality social and emotional
learning to so many students to promote educational success. With 180 school days in a year, this
ratio provides less than two hours of individual counseling per student for the entire year, not
including the time needed to plan, consult, meet with parents and administrators, make referrals,
connect with community resources, train teachers and staff, deliver classroom guidance, or
conduct other duties as determined by their individual school.

Just as you advocate for high-quality and dedicated educators in our schools, it is
imperative to address the need for school counselors in order to support the social and emotional
aspects of learning. I commend your constant dedication to long-term solutions in our school
communities, and I ask you to use that same approach in the state of our schools’ mental health.
As a voice for the people and an advocate for quality education, please consider how you can
advocate for increasing the awareness, access to resources, and normalization of mental health
care in Wake County Public Schools. Again, thank you for your dedication to our community
and our children.

Sincerely,
Nicole Simpson
School Counselor Intern, Oakview Elementary
M. Ed School Counseling
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Resources:

American School Counselor Association (2012). ​The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling
Programs (3rd ed​). Alexandria, VA.
NAMI. ​Mental Health Facts: Children & Teens.
https://www.nami.org/getattachment/Learn-More/Mental-Health-by-the-Numbers/childrenmhfacts.pdf
Salerno, J. P. (2016). Effectiveness of universal School-Based mental health awareness programs among youth in
the united states: A systematic review.​ Journal of School Health, 86​(12), 922-931. doi:10.1111/josh.12461