American youth are experiencing many emotions. A recent mental health study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that nearly 40% of high school students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Another CDC study showed that while nearly 20% of children aged 12-17 had sought mental health treatment, 11% of children aged 5-11 had done the same. The CDC’s study of stressful life events found that 10% of children aged 5-17 experienced at least one stressful life event, while 8% had experienced two or more. 

Parents do all that they can to support their children through their emotions. But children spend nearly half of their waking hours at school. As such, schools must be equipped to help students handle their emotional needs. 

This article helps parents understand what social and emotional learning is and how it helps students manage their stress and emotions. It also discusses how schools can help students improve their emotional control. Finally, it explains how a therapeutic school in NYC can help. 

How Stress and Emotions Affect Learning and Behavior at School

Stress is not always bad. Brief exposure to stress for a good purpose, such as getting a shot, can be positive. However, when stress is excessive or prolonged, it becomes toxic. Toxic stress can reshape a child’s growing brain. 

Stress, anxiety, and other emotions can affect students in the classroom. When emotionally overwhelmed, students may react by:

• Refusing to participate in classroom activities
• Withdrawing from school or classroom activities that they used to enjoy
• Misbehaving at school 
• Behaving at school but having a “breakdown” at home
• Having trouble sleeping
• Engaging in school avoidance
• “Blanking” or “freezing” during tests or presentations 

These kids aren’t “bad.” They are simply overwhelmed. For instance, a student who is fine at school but has an outburst at home is likely overwhelmed by the stress of controlling their emotions during the school day. A “disruptive” child who leaves the classroom abruptly may be feeling triggered by something. The “class clown” may joke to avoid feelings of inadequacy or a sense of lack of control. 

Bottom line: children are doing their best with emotions that they’re still learning to recognize and manage. 

How Social-Emotional Learning Helps Students with Emotional Issues 

Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps students learn five key concepts:

• Self-awareness
• Self-management
• Social awareness 
• Relationship skills 
• Responsible decision-making 

These skills matter. Children can’t learn when they are stressed or emotional. It’s not hypothetical, it’s biological. School often requires students to focus, organize, and remember. However, stress causes the body to release high levels of hormones – like cortisol – that affect the parts of the brain that control memory. These hormones also affect focus and planning. Moreover, stress and other emotions take up valuable space that could be used for other functions. When the brain is focused on handling emotions, its resources are diverted. It’s hard to focus on learning when your brain is under stress. Finally, stress hormones can cause headaches, stomachaches, and even fatigue. 

SEL helps children reset themselves emotionally. It teaches coping and resilience. It also helps teachers learn to address students’ emotional needs before they become unmanageable. 

How Schools and Teachers Implement SEL During the School Day 

While every school has its own approach, most realize that the best way to teach kids about emotions is to teach them directly. Like long division, emotional regulation is a skill that must be taught. Some helpful SEL approaches include teaching students to: 

• Name their emotions (such as with an emotion wheel or other tool) 
• Recognize their triggers 
• Identify how stress feels in their body 
• Learn to self-regulate by taking breaths or other methods
• Ask for help
• Use positive self-talk
• Return to class after a break

While these tools are student-led, teachers play a large role in successful SEL programs. In co-regulation, teachers encourage students who are struggling with self-regulation. They speak calmly and offer the child a direction (“Let’s take a deep breath, okay?”). If a trigger caused the issue, teachers can adjust the classroom to prevent future events. Many students, especially younger ones, may need teacher support until they master self-regulation. 

How Therapeutic Schools Integrate SEL 

Both New York City and the State of New York encourage all schools to incorporate SEL into the school day. However, some students continue to have emotional struggles even after receiving directed and appropriate support. Also, some schools struggle to implement SEL goals. As shown above, successful SEL practices rely on active teacher support. But many traditional schools in New York have high student-teacher ratios. These schools also tend to have a high student-counselor ratio. This means that they lack the ability to provide the necessary counseling support to implement SEL programs or redirect students in crisis. 

Therapeutic schools are different. Again, SEL requires attention and support. By design, these schools have far smaller class sizes than traditional schools. The lower student-teacher ratio enables these schools to provide each student with individualized emotional support. Also, a teacher with fewer students is more likely to notice the early signs of an emotional episode and therefore intervene before it reaches a crisis level. 

In addition to smaller class sizes, therapeutic schools also incorporate SEL into every part of every school day. Traditional schools often struggle to fit SEL into their required curriculum. But at therapeutic schools, SEL is an equal part of the curriculum, alongside reading and math. This means that the principles of self-regulation are always being taught and reinforced. 

Counseling also matters. While traditional schools often struggle to provide adequate counseling services, therapeutic schools incorporate this into the school day. Most therapeutic schools have “wraparound” services that provide not just academics, but also emotional support, such as individual or group counseling. 

Consider a Therapeutic School in New York City for Your Child 

If you’ve noticed that your child is stressed, you’re right to be concerned. If you’ve taken the appropriate steps – such as getting a 504 Plan or an IEP – but you’re not seeing progress, maybe the plan isn’t the problem. Maybe your student needs a change of environment, like a therapeutic school, to reach their full potential. 

If you’re looking for a therapeutic school in New York City, consider Academics West. All students at our school are required to attend both individual and group counseling regularly. We have a Clinical Director and a full counseling staff. Learn more about our approach to academics and SEL by watching our virtual tour. Then, call us (212-580-0080) or use our booking tool to schedule a visit.