The transition back to school after inpatient mental health treatment is a crucial yet often challenging process. There is a lot to consider: emotional, social, and academic aspects along with the role of school support systems in helping the student reintegrate smoothly.
Students may be admitted for psychiatric inpatient treatment for a variety of reasons including thoughts of suicide, depressive symptoms, and behavioral disturbances. A particular challenge students face after mental health hospitalization is the reintegration into school. Many students struggle to explain their sudden absence and experience difficulties catching up on missed assignments.
There are also social and emotional triggers that may impact the reintegration process. There is a stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, as peers do not always accept these experiences. Students may fear being bullied or socially outcasted as a result of inpatient hospitalization. There might be certain triggers within the school environment that may impact the student’s ability to adjust. This might include a lack of available resources to cope, triggering social situations, academic pressures, and peer judgment.
To help students reintegrate, it is important to have a team of mental health providers and school staff. Before the student is discharged, there should be an educational transition plan in place and a mental health prevention plan.
An education plan should be coordinated between the school counselor and their teachers. This includes reasonable timelines for missed assignments, resources for students to collect information missed during class, and necessary accommodations for completing missing work. A mental health prevention plan should be completed with a licensed professional, preferably from outside the school, so that the student is receiving an entire session dedicated to working on their mental health needs. A prevention plan includes how students plan to utilize their support system, coping skills, and emergency resources, as well as identify triggers and goals for their mental health recovery.
Challenges often occur when there is a lack of communication and resources. To ensure communication is utilized, a release of information should be signed by the psychiatric hospital, mental health providers, and the school. It is the mental health providers and the school counselor’s responsibility to provide resources for the student to accommodate their mental health needs. The school counselor should utilize the prevention plan so that the student has staff and available coping tools when they are needed. Some common coping skills offered by schools include fidget toys, scheduled breaks with the school counselor, hall passes to the bathroom, and completing homework with staff members.
The student and mental health providers decide upon what timeline is appropriate and what it would look like for the student to adjust to a full-time schedule. Integration should be a gradual process where the student attends a few days a week until accommodations and resources are in place and the student feels comfortable.
Peer support during this time is important. When determining the student’s support system at school, make sure to include a list of trusted peers. This will give the student access to social and emotional support. Each time the student utilizes their support system and coping skills, they are building their resiliency for stressful symptoms related to their mental health.
As schools continue to be places where students not only learn but also navigate complex emotional and social challenges, it is essential to recognize the unique struggles faced by those returning after inpatient mental health treatment. A student’s reintegration into school life should not be seen as merely a return to academics, but as a critical step in their broader journey of healing and growth.
References
Clemens, E. V., Welfare, L. E., & Williams, A. M. (2011). Elements of Successful School Reentry After Psychiatric Hospitalization. Preventing School Failure, 55(4), 202–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2010.532521
Taylor, J. M. (2023). Meeting Adolescent Students’ Needs After Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization for Suicide-Related Crises: Tools for Comprehensive School Re-Entry Planning. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
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