As of Spring 2022, seven out of ten public schools noted a rise in the number of students seeking mental health services. Seventy-six percent of those schools reported that faculty and staff members expressed concerns about depression, anxiety, and trauma in students.

Sadly, only half of the schools surveyed in Spring 2022 said they were able to effectively provide necessary services.

Even more, studies have shown a marked increase in stress, anxiety, and depression in school faculty and staff. As of June 2022, 73% of teachers undergo frequent job-related stress, 28% experience depressive symptoms, and 59% report burnout. A National Education Association (NEA) survey from February 2022 revealed that 90% of teachers believed burnout was a “very serious or somewhat serious” issue facing educators with 55% of teachers saying they were considering leaving the field earlier than planned.

With such a desperate need to address this increase in students’ and staff members’ mental health concerns, schools across the country have started implementing new policies and procedures. A priority has been placed on hiring counselors and school psychologists and implementing new or expanded social-emotional curricula.

Some schools are even taking their efforts a step further, adding “directors of wellness” to their staff. This new leadership position includes a responsibility for assessing students’ and faculty members’ mental health states and developing and implementing plans for improving mental health.

Directors of wellness are administrators who take a more holistic approach to mental wellness. They not only focus on students’ wellbeing, but also that of faculty, staff, families, and community members. They develop systems and a framework for what health and wellness looks like in a school and in the community.

While school counselors may need to fulfill other obligations such as coordinating student schedules and school psychologists may often be tasked with administering and scoring assessments, directors of wellness focus solely on the establishment and promotion of mental wellness.

Some of the tasks and responsibilities of directors of wellness include:

• Administering surveys to gain information about student and staff mental wellbeing
• Developing support groups for students
• Providing daily tips for students, faculty, and staff for combating stress and anxiety
• Offering one-on-one counseling
• Offering targeted support during times of higher stress such as midterms, finals, and holidays
• Providing faculty, staff, family, and community workshops about mental wellness

This new leadership position has the potential to be particularly helpful in a Montessori setting. Given the holistic nature of the position and the emphasis in Montessori communities on overall development and wellbeing, the role of a director of wellness seems to be a natural fit. Furthermore, these administrators develop targeted programs that are carefully curated to align with a school’s mission and vision, addressing the specific needs of students and staff. What could be more Montessori than that?

Some Montessori practices already align with common initiatives of current directors of wellness, such as community meetings and mindfulness practices. The idea of developing a student-centered program, introducing lessons and facilitating conversations about mental health and wellness that become a natural part of students’ learning, growth, and development fits with the holistic approach to education inherent within the Montessori Method.

Public, charter, and private Montessori schools may find it helpful to consider adding a director of wellness to their faculty as means of putting their staff and students in the center of wellness education, providing the preparation for life that Maria Montessori envisioned.

About the Author

Heather White, EdS, is a Montessori coach and consultant, content creator, and educator for adult learners, as well as a moderator and manager for the Montessori at Home (0 – 3 years) Facebook group. Formerly, she was a Montessori teacher, in-home caregiver, Lower Elementary coordinator, and associate head of school. She also has experience as a school psychologist intern. She is AMS-credentialed (Early Childhood, Elementary I) and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). Contact her at hpratt@stetson.edu.

The opinions expressed in Montessori Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of AMS.