Mental Health Awareness and Services in Armenian-American Schools: A Grant Proposal for a Teacher Training Program

School-based mental health programs in America provide students with psychological services that have been found to increase students' academic and social success and overall well-being. Furthermore, teacher involvement in students' psychological well-being via awareness, psychoeducation, and/or rendering help and resources has been found to be a significant factor in these school-based mental health programs. Within the Armenian community, similar to other minority communities, there is a strong stigma surrounding the presence of mental and emotional issues, and an even stronger stigma attached to seeking professional help for these difficulties. There is also a correspondingly strong need to help raise awareness that these types of issues exist and that help is available and necessary. This doctoral project's goal is to improve mental health of students in Armenian-American schools by developing (and eventually obtaining funding through) a grant proposal for a teacher training program. The proposed pilot program is in an Armenian-American school in Southern California and is designed to address the unique mental health needs of Armenian-American students within the school.