A Seat at The Table: Centering Black Girls’ Voices in Access to School-Based Mental Health Support

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender Roundtable: Mapping Disparities and Creating "Seats at the Table" for Student Access and Success

Abstract

This paper explored how Black adolescent girls defined safe spaces within the context of school counseling and school-based mental health services. Grounded in a phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST), qualitative research was used in this study to understand the lived experiences of 20 Black girls attending high schools in urban and suburban settings through semi-structured interviews. Black girls shared the profound impact of racial discrimination on their mental health in schooling environments. The findings revealed the need for culturally responsive school counselors with shared racial and gender identity as the participants. This study can help researchers, educators, policymakers, and mental health professionals create school-based mental health programs that provide Black girls with a safe space.

Authors

• Marline Francois-Madden, Morgan State University

• Christina Tillery, Virginia Commonwealth University