UbcNews

If your school community doesn’t have a National School Chaplain Association chaplain, you are missing out on the opportunity to have the most effective service available in public education to promote emotional well-being.

Following the passing of the Chaplain Bill in June, the government of Texas has paved the way for new full-time placements of school chaplains in elementary, middle, and high schools in the state. However, as the National School Chaplain Association explains, these placements are not mandatory, which is why they are now reaching out to school heads, teaching staff, parents, and community members like yourself who want to advocate for the installation of a licensed NSCA chaplain in your school.

The National School Chaplain Association believes that their work has never been more vital. According to Pew Research Center, 7 in 10 US teenagers now say that anxiety and depression are a major challenge to them and to their peers, and the NSCA has seen that emotional well-being in schools is at an all-time low.

As the leading school chaplaincy organization in both the United States and worldwide, the NSCA trains their chaplains to meet this challenge and to create a safe space in which students in your school community can receive confidential counseling and uplifting, hope-filled spiritual guidance and compassionate care.

If your school is one of the many in Texas that are also lacking direct access to a counselor, a certified chaplain can also strongly fortify your school’s mental health and wellness support structures. As a spokesperson for the National School Chaplain Association affirmed, “A school chaplain is a nonjudgmental and easy to talk to confidant with a strong ability to help with personal problems, and, guided by their training, they can help decide when to refer someone to a licensed therapist.”

As a recent chaplaincy study revealed, 73% of respondents said they had “somewhat or a lot” of confidence in their clergy to help them with their depression or anxiety.

Additionally, the National School Chaplain Association believes chaplains can help to tackle other challenges your school community might be facing, like school bullying, gun violence, explicit material sharing and gender confusion by providing moral and ethical education.

With NSCA chaplains now welcome in the state of Texas, the association encourages you to lobby for their presence in your school.

The association’s spokesperson added, “The positive results of hiring a school chaplain are seen in an overall increase in moral values, ethics, character development, integrity and compassion, and improved emotional well-being and self-image among students.”

In an epidemic of poor mental health, a chaplain can bring hope, faith and light to your school community.

In addition to lobbying for an NSCA chaplain in your school, you can also become a chaplaincy ‘champion’ and offer them advocacy help and financial backing. Visit the website in the description to see how you can join their mission.

National School Chaplain Association City: Norman Address: PO Box 720746 Website https://www.campuschaplains.org Phone +1-858-472-6084 Email rmalloy@missiongeneration.org