Thanks Ben- I look forward to reading and engaging more. The parallels to the root cause and our those that have created a fragmented education system are extensive too.
Hi Ben! We don't know each other (yet), and Reggie Williams "sent me" :). Love this newsletter -- and applaud you for saying what should be self-evident, but somehow is not: "mental health care is health care." It's mind-boggling that this was clearly articulated in 1996 and, moreover, it seems like such a clear dot-connecting exercise with massive benefits. I wonder: what do you think are the primary reasons why we've failed to make the integration? I guess I get the physical obstacles -- the locations of various practitioners and the psychological obstacles (i.e. people are used to siloed care), but what do you think are the root causes here? Is it because people still don't consider mental health conditions as being "legitimate" illnesses?
I also wanted to say that there are TONS of parallels between whole-child (integrated) education and the idea of integrating mental health with general health. Some whole-child interventions are self-evident. For example, it is pretty obvious that students can't learn if they're hungry, so we developed legislation for free-and-reduced lunch. This meant that at least students have something in their bellies to support their bodies, hearts, and brains. Still, so much of whole-child education -- ESPECIALLY supporting MENTAL WELLBEING is still far from solved.
Good to see the HHS report has provision to: "Integrate promotion and prevention programs in community-based settings from early childhood to young adulthood, inclusive of schools."
Becca, welcome to this Substack, and thank you for the insightful comments. For me, I see the root causes as our history and our culture. We have created a fragmented system, by design, and this "separate" culture permeates all we do, including how we even approach care ourselves. I look forward to your ongoing engagement here. And love your whole child example!
This is GOLD Ben.
Thanks Ben- I look forward to reading and engaging more. The parallels to the root cause and our those that have created a fragmented education system are extensive too.
Hi Ben! We don't know each other (yet), and Reggie Williams "sent me" :). Love this newsletter -- and applaud you for saying what should be self-evident, but somehow is not: "mental health care is health care." It's mind-boggling that this was clearly articulated in 1996 and, moreover, it seems like such a clear dot-connecting exercise with massive benefits. I wonder: what do you think are the primary reasons why we've failed to make the integration? I guess I get the physical obstacles -- the locations of various practitioners and the psychological obstacles (i.e. people are used to siloed care), but what do you think are the root causes here? Is it because people still don't consider mental health conditions as being "legitimate" illnesses?
I also wanted to say that there are TONS of parallels between whole-child (integrated) education and the idea of integrating mental health with general health. Some whole-child interventions are self-evident. For example, it is pretty obvious that students can't learn if they're hungry, so we developed legislation for free-and-reduced lunch. This meant that at least students have something in their bellies to support their bodies, hearts, and brains. Still, so much of whole-child education -- ESPECIALLY supporting MENTAL WELLBEING is still far from solved.
Good to see the HHS report has provision to: "Integrate promotion and prevention programs in community-based settings from early childhood to young adulthood, inclusive of schools."
Becca, welcome to this Substack, and thank you for the insightful comments. For me, I see the root causes as our history and our culture. We have created a fragmented system, by design, and this "separate" culture permeates all we do, including how we even approach care ourselves. I look forward to your ongoing engagement here. And love your whole child example!