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.
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