A new article published in the Canadian Journal of Education examines how privatized mental health initiatives in public schools may be harming students, undermining educational equity, and advancing neoliberal reforms at the expense of the public good.
Researchers Melissa Janzen, Caitlin Mayor, and Hassan Sanni-Anibire find that outsourcing mental health programs to private organizations, many of which lack transparency and have questionable evidence of effectiveness, can undermine public education’s ability to care for students and perpetuate systemic inequities. They write:
“Children and youth in Canada are experiencing high levels of stress, mental health distress, and suicidality, causing public health, education, and mental health practitioners and scholars to call for appropriate mental health supports for students in schools… [Yet] outsourcing mental health programming undermines the ability of schools to care for and educate students, diminishes the implementation of appropriate programming, and endorses problematic content.”
Their critical analysis reveals how outsourcing programs not only dilute the quality of mental health services but also reinforce individualizing and stigmatizing approaches to student distress, diverting attention away from the systemic conditions that contribute to mental health challenges.
You've landed on a MIA journalism article that is funded by MIA supporters. To read the full article, sign up as a MIA Supporter. All active donors get full access to all MIA content, and free passes to all Mad in America events.
Current MIA supporters can log in below.(If you can't afford to support MIA in this way, email us at [email protected] and we will provide you with access to all donor-supported content.)
