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Counselors report surge in referrals and limited capacity; school requests layered supports
Summary
School counselors and student-support staff told the LSSC the volume of mental‑health and crisis referrals has surged—about 1,800 this year at one school—and that lost positions and limited clinic therapists have left counselors stretched well above a 250:1 expected caseload; staff described tiered interventions, use of interns, and community partnerships as mitigations.
Counselors and student-support staff told the Local School Site Council that mental‑health needs among primary students have increased sharply and have outpaced the school’s capacity for one‑on‑one services. A counselor who spoke to the council said the school logged more than 1,800 individual counseling referrals this school year and that the loss of a social‑emotional coach forced each counselor to absorb roughly 100 additional students.
"This year alone, we've had over 1,800 individual referrals for students to be…
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