State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday that the education department will pursue an initiative to add 10,000 mental health clinicians to schools. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)Confronted with a shortage of school mental health counselors, the state Department of Education is seeking to bring 10,000 more professionals to campuses at a time when federal public health officials are calling for action to address the nation’s growing youth mental health crisis. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday during a visit to Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles. “But the reality is that there is a shortage, there just aren’t enough counselors at many schools and many communities, urban, suburban, rural.”For years, educators have warned of a shortage of mental health professionals.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 06, 2022 02:16 UTC