Addressing Mental Health and Well-Being Through Homeplace,Black Joy,and Freedom Dreaming: A Call to Professional School Counselors

Abstract

Current State of Black Youth Mental Health: Current trend data indicate that Black youth are experiencing an increase in mental health concerns like anxiety and depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Black youth also experience challenges in navigating pre-K–12 schools, which include school carcerality enforced by social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula. Black students are unlikely to have access to culturally affirming educational opportunities and content. These experiences negatively impact the mental health of Black youth, which is further exacerbated by limited access to mental health care. The Role of School Counselors in Mental Health: School counselors are well positioned to provide support for Black youth. In their current role, school counselors have an awareness of school ecosystems that impact Black youth, and can engage in direct services and leadership to address such impacts systemically. Homeplace, Black Joy, and Freedom Dreaming: It’s important for school counselors to cultivate homeplace, Black joy, and freedom dreaming to support Black youth mental health. As a framework, Black joy, freedom dreaming, and homeplace offer a vantage that humanizes Black youth, promotes connection and collective healing, and envisions liberatory futures beyond the current sociopolitical context. Recommendations for Practice, School Policy, and Training Programs: School counselors must work to center student voices and collaboration to create what is needed for Black youth through direct services. Additionally, critical interrogation of school policy is needed to cultivate Black joy and homeplace rather than reinstitute harm. Finally, preservice programs must also hedge against these harms through purposeful training towards Black joy and homeplace.

Keywords

Black joy Black youth freedom dreaming homeplace mental health

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American School Counselor Association . (2025). ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (5th ed.). American School Counselor Association.

American School Counselor Association (ASCA) . (2023). Student-to-School-Counselor Ratio 2022-2023. American School Counselor Association. https://schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a988972b-1faa-4b5f-8b9e-a73b5ac44476/ratios-22-23-alpha.pdf

American School Counselor Association . (2021). ASCA research report: State of the profession 2020. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/bb23299b-678d-4bce-8863-cfcb55f7df87/2020-state-of-the-profession.pdf

Annamma

S. A.

Anyon

Joseph

N. M.

Farrar

Greer

Downing

Simmons

(2019). Black girls and school discipline: The complexities of being overrepresented and understudied. Urban Education, 54(2), 211–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916646610

Annamma

S. A.

Jackson

D. D.

Morrison

(2017). Conceptualizing color-evasiveness: Using dis/ability critical race theory to expand a color-blind racial ideology in education and society. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 20(2), 147–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248837

ATW Health Solutions . (2021). Black youth mental health policy framework development & action report: Promoting behavioral health in Black youth Study. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health.

Auger

(2011). The school counselor’s mental health sourcebook: Strategies to help students succeed. Corwin Press.

Bartholomew

(2023). Preventing the school-to-prison pipeline: A public health approach for school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Routledge.

Beames

J. L.

O'Dea

Torok

Boydell

Christensen

Werner-Seidler

(2022). Addressing the mental health of school students: Perspectives of secondary school teachers and counselors. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 10(1), 128–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2020.1838367

10.

Boulden

Borden

(2022). Voices from the field of school counseling: Promoting anti-racism in school settings. In Johnson

K. F.

Sparkman-Key

N. M.

Meca

Tarver

S. Z.

(Eds.), Developing anti-racist practices in the helping professions: Inclusive theory, pedagogy, and application (1st ed., pp. 305–327). Palgrave Macmillan.

11.

Bridge

J. A.

Horowitz

L. M.

Fontanella

C. A.

Sheftall

A. H.

Greenhouse

Kelleher

K. J.

Campo

J. V.

(2018). Age-related racial disparity in suicide rates among US youths from 2001 through 2015. JAMA Pediatrics, 172(7), 697–699. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0399

12.

Bronfenbrenner

(1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.

13.

Capp

(2015). Our community, our schools: A case study of program design for school-based mental health services. Children and Schools, 37(4), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdv030

14.

CASEL . (2023). Fundamentals of SEL. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/

15.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . (2021a). Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES). https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/abes.htm

16.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . (2021b). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data (YRBS). https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs

17.

Clemons

K. L.

Cokley

R. K.

(2022). “There isn’t a racist bone in my body!”: A case study on fostering anti-racism in school counseling. In Johnson

K. F.

Sparkman-Key

N. M.

Meca

Tarver

S. Z.

(Eds.), Developing anti-racist practices in the helping professions: Inclusive theory, pedagogy, and application (1st ed., pp. 329–360). Palgrave Macmillan.

18.

Congressional Black Caucus . (2020). Ring the alarm: The crisis of Black youth suicide in America. https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/imo/media/doc/full_taskforce_report.pdf

19.

Cruz

(2024). The Black joy project: A literary and visual love letter to how we thrive. Harper Colllins.

20.

Darling-Hammond

Cook-Harvey

C. M.

Flook

Gardner

Melnick

(2019). With the whole child in mind: Insights from the Comer school development program. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

21.

DeKruyf

Auger

R. W.

Trice-Black

(2013). The role of school counselors in meeting students’ mental health needs: Examining issues of professional identity. Professional School Counseling, 16(5), 271–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X0001600502

22.

Del Toro

Wang

(2022). The roles of suspensions for minor infractions and school climate in predicting academic performance among adolescents. American Psychologist, 77(2), 173–185. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000854

23.

Dimitropoulos

C. E.

Cullen

Pawluk

McLuckie

Patten

Bulloch

Wilcox

Arnold

P. D.

(2022). “Teachers often see the red flags first”: Perceptions of school staff regarding their roles in supporting students with mental health concerns. School Mental Health, 14(2), 402–415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09475-1

24.

Drake

Oglesby

(2020). Humanity is not a thing: Disrupting white supremacy in K-12 social emotional learning. Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, 10(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.31274/jctp.11549

25.

Drake

Oglesby

Amos

Engelking

(2024). Toward the end of school counseling: Visionary possibilities for counselors to build and practice abolition in education. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2024.2328263

26.

Duane

Mims

L. C

(2022). Listen when I come to the table”: Reimagining education with and for Black elementary-aged youth and their mothers. Frontiers in Education, 7, 970443. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.970443

27.

Ferren

(2017). 5 ways to include student voice in education policymaking. The Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/5-ways-include-student-voice-education-policymaking/

28.

Ford

D. Y.

Moore

J. L.

III. (2024). Educators of gifted and talented students must be formally trained for homeplace to become a reality: Recommended theories and paradigms. Theory into Practice, 63(1), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2023.2287758

29.

Griffin

Steen

(2011). A social justice approach to school counseling. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 3(1), 74–85. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.3.1.74-85

30.

Grindal

Schifterk

L. A.

Schwartz

Hehir

(2019). Racial differences in special education identitication and placement: Evidence across three states. Harvard Educational Review, 89(4), 525–553. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-89.4.525

31.

Harris

P. C.

Mayes

R. D.

Freeman

Eberly

Tatby

Wiener

(2020). Men passionately pursuing purpose (MP3): A group counseling intervention for Black male student athletes. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 45(2), 146–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2019.1679931

32.

Harris-Thomas

(2023). Sources of belonging for 7th grade Black girls in the math classroom: A phenomenological study [Doctoral dissertation]. Michigan State University.

33.

hooks

(1990). Yearning: Race, gender, and cultural politics. South End Press.

34.

Kearl

Mayes

R. D.

(2024). Moms for Liberty and the dispositifs of white motherhood: Toward a Black whiteness study of maternal educational biopolitics. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education . https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2024.2388675

35.

Kearl

Mayes

R. D.

Drake

(2023). Affirming Black Joy & homeplace: A call to action for practitioner preparation programs. Theory into Practice, 63(1), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2023.2287676

36.

Kelley

R. D. G.

(2003). Freedom dreams: The Black radical imagination. Beacon Press.

37.

La Salle

T. P.

Meyers

Varjas

Roach

(2015). A cultural-ecological model of school climate. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 3(3), 157–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2015.1047550

38.

Love

B. L.

(2020). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon Press.

39.

Mayes

R. D.

Byrd

(2022). An antiracist framework for evidence-informed school counseling practice. Professional School Counseling, 26(1a), 18–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X221086740

40.

Mayes

R. D.

Edirmanasinghe

Ieva

Washington

A. R.

(2022a). Liberating school counseling to promote freedom dreaming for Black youth. Frontiers in Education, 7(1), Article 964490. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.964490

41.

Mayes

R. D.

Elam

N. P.

Geesa

R. L.

McConnell

McDonald

K. M.

(2020). School administrators’ perceptions on effectiveness of school counselor evaluation: A national study. Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 4(1). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1282770.pdf.

42.

Mayes

R. D.

Hines

E. M.

Vega

Harris

P. C.

Lawson

T. K.

(2024). Cultivating homeplace for Black girls through tier 2 group counseling experiences. Professional School Counseling , 28(1a), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X241234927

43.

Mayes

R. D.

Jones

S. C. T.

Mims

L. C.

Harris

P. C.

Dhahan

Mitchell-Dodge

(2023). Black youth mental health: Understanding and being culturally responsive to promote homeplace and Black joy. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. https://www.diverseeducation.com/opinion/article/15658896/black-youth-mental-health-understanding-and-being-culturally-responsive-to-promote-homeplace-and-black-joy

44.

Mayes

R. D.

Pianta

Oglesby

Zyromski

(2022b). Principles of antiracist social emotional justice learning. Theory into Practice, 61(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2022.2036063

45.

Mental and Behavioral Health - African Americans . (nd). Office of Minority Health. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/mental-and-behavioral-health-african-americans

46.

Mims

Burnett

Martin

Leath

Harris-Thomas

(2024). “Black Girl Magic is everything”: Recommendations for cultivating supportive spaces for Black girls. Theory Into Practice, 63(1), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2023.2287721

47.

Mims

L. C.

Rubenstein

L. D.

Thomas

(2022). Black brilliance and creative problem solving in fugitive spaces: Advancing the BlackCreate framework through a systematic review. Review of Research in Education, 46(1), 134–165. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X221084331

48.

Moore

C. T.

(2023). School counselor's perspective on mental health in schools. In Wines

L. A.

Nelson

J. A.

Fikac

(Eds.), Administrative leaders and school counselors: Building on theories, standards, and experiences for optimal mental health collaboration (1st ed., pp. 1–15). Routledge.

49.

NAACP . (2025). Attack on our power and dignity: What project 2025 means for Black communities. https://tminstituteldf.org/what-project-2025-means-for-black-communities/

50.

Nelson

Hamilton

K. H.

(2023). School-based racial battle fatigue. In Flowers

T. A.

(Ed.), The foundation of urban education: Key issues (1st ed., pp. 101–127). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

51.

Owens

Reardon

(2024). The state of segregation: 70 years after Brown [Conference presentation]. The unfinished legacy of Brown v. Board of Education at 70, Stanford University. https://edopportunity.org/segregation/conference/

52.

Perryman

Platt

Montiel Ishino

(2022). Identifying the mental health profiles of Black adolescents who experience school policing and school discipline: A person-centered approach. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(8), 1034–1040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.11.029

53.

Raffaele Mendez

(2017). Cognitive behavioral therapy in schools: A tiered approach to youth mental health services. Routledge.

54.

Ratts

M. J.

Singh

A. A.

Nassar‐McMillan

Butler

S. K.

McCullough

J. R.

(2016). Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies: Guidelines for the counseling profession. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 44(1), 28–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12035

55.

Rose

Lindsey

M. A.

Xiao

Finigan-Carr

N. M.

Joe

(2017). Mental health and educational experiences among Black youth: A latent class analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(11), 2321–2340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0723-3

56.

Sumlin

Hill

Asim

Busby

Brown

J. L.

Sharp

(2024). Quantifying the representation of Black adolescents in suicide intervention research. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 52(2), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-023-01113-5

57.

Summers

M. L.

Nelson

(2023). Multicultural counseling: Responding with cultural humility, empathy, and advocacy. Springer Publishers.

58.

United Negro College Fund . (2020). K-12 disparity facts and statistics - UNCF. UNCF. https://uncf.org/pages/k-12-disparity-facts-and-stats

59.

Warren

J. M.

Blount

T. N.

Belle

(2024). Implementing effective school-based mental health services: A guide for school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 28(1), Article 41283769. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X241283769

60.

Wint

O. I.

Gordon

Brooms

D. R.

(2022). Countering educational disparities among Black boys and Black adolescent boys from pre-k to high school: A life course-intersectional perspective. The Urban Review, 54(2), 183–206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-021-00616-z

61.

Yang

Anyon

(2016). Race and risk behaviors: The mediating role of school bonding. Children and Youth Services Review, 69, 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.07.019

62.

Young

(2020). #BlackGirlMagic: Due process and the disappearance of Black girls in public education. Social Justice and Equity Journal, 3(2), 208–232. https://willamette.edu/law/resources/journals/sjelj/publications/pdf/7.-young-.pdf