An Autoethnographic Study of Interdisciplinary Behavioral Health in K-12 Students - By Dr. Stephanie Chalk
- Malia Hoffmann
- Apr 10
- 1 min read
Mental health in K-12 children, once overlooked, has become an important topic for educators and allied professionals. Oftentimes, professionals who work with youth operate in isolation and eschew cooperation with colleagues. In the past 13 years, I have occupied a variety of roles working with youth, both directly and indirectly. These include roles such as a life skills instructor, researcher, applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapist, therapeutic school counselor, clinical mental health counselor at a low-income health clinic, and psychotherapist in private practice. This autoethnographic article discusses observations made during my time in these roles and how they impact youth functioning. These observations, discussed as “lessons”, include the following: how to support independence and basic life skills, improving behavior with approaches other than behaviorism, the use of co-regulation for emotional regulation, how trauma informs behavior, the effects of poverty on physical and mental health, and multisystemic contributors to mental health. Implications for K-12 educators and allied professionals are discussed.
Keywords: Behavior, Counseling, K-12, Mental Health, Education
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