The mental health of teens was already a troubling story before the pandemic. After the stress of isolation, the situation has gotten worse. Much worse. For many, the fear and isolation of the pandemic weren’t the only challenges. The era “also left many children grieving. More than 230,000 U.S. students under 18 are believed to be mourning the ultimate loss: the death of a parent or primary caregiver.” From self-reported depression to suicide attempts, almost every number you hope would be going down is surging. Many school districts are struggling to find ways to cope with the new reality. While there have been additional funds directed toward the problem, there just aren’t enough mental health professionals, either in schools or in private practice, to go around. “We simply don’t have enough people in our profession to meet the need,’ said Kelsey Theis, president of the Texas Association of School Psychologists. When families seek private therapists, ‘sometimes there’s a wait list of months and months before they get help.'” WaPo: The crisis of student mental health is much vaster than we realize.