3 ways chatbots can support mental health in schools

But for most districts, the lack of a guarantee that this relief funding will continue means a hiring spree is unrealistic. For districts that can find trained workers to hire in the midst of a national staffing shortage, adding a few more staff members won’t make up for the magnitude of need in our classrooms as we head into year three of an unprecedented global pandemic. While our schools’ mental health professionals are focused on the most critical cases, a chatbot can play an important role guiding families to resources and gauging their well-being and needs at scale.

“We’re using the chatbot to send simple messages checking in on how families are doing, letting them know we’re here for them,” said Mr. Brady. “In one case, we got positive feedback from a grandmother who used the bot to find mental health resources for the granddaughter she’s helping to raise.”

Students and family members of all ages are now accustomed to interacting with “robots” to help them get the information they need faster. In many cases, they even prefer this mode of communication.

A non-judgmental support system

A recent study estimates that one in eight children have mental disorders, and the vast majority do not receive treatment. While access to support is certainly part of the problem, mental healthcare continues to face a stigma that causes families to avoid raising potential issues that can grow into much bigger problems that block student success in the long-term.

It turns out, parents and students often don’t want to talk directly to school administrators about mental health issues. Districts that use a chatbot to support health and wellness find that families are more willing to ask for support.

“I give my cellphone number out to all my students, but they never use it,” said Dr. Michael D. Miles, Principal at the Memphis Academy, a charter school in Tennessee. “With the chatbot, they can ask questions without feeling like they’re bugging someone or being judged.”

Chatbots offer a non-confrontational, non-judgmental way for families to ask for support that could help grow the number of children getting the help they need.

A pathway towards equitable mental healthcare in schools

Mental health support has long been an under-invested part of the U.S. education system. A pre-pandemic study found that the student to counselor ratio was almost 500/1. This means that students who would benefit from access to a mental health professional or social worker instead end up caught in a punitive cycle of discipline.

This is especially true for black and brown families, who are more likely to experience mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, but less likely to seek help. This can be linked to the lack of access to culturally responsive healthcare. With new attention and funding for mental health in schools comes a responsibility to better support these students and their families.

Now more than ever, we need to build systems that don’t assume negative intent or disinterest, and instead, provide support for the whole child, starting with their mental health and well-being. A chatbot provides a unique opportunity to offer unbiased mental health outreach and support for communities that historically experience prejudice in our healthcare system.

Should chatbots be trusted to handle complex mental health needs and assign treatment plans to students? Not yet. But they can play a critical role in helping to proactively surface issues to school staff and empathetically guide parents to take the next best step for their child.