Giving Compass' Take:

· With an increased demand for mental health services, Education Dive reports that school counselors are beginning to struggle with their caseloads.

· What needs to be done to provide students with the support they need without stretching counselors too thin? How can this problem be addressed?

· Read more about student mental health services and the role of school counselors.

A 250-to-1 ratio is recommended, but it's much higher in many states — Arizona peaks at 905-to-1. And funds aren't always available to help lower the numbers.

"Bare bones" and "random acts of guidance" is how Kathy Pelzer described counseling services in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) in California when she was hired in 2014. "It was all about just reacting to the issues," said Pelzer, whose caseload at Capistrano Valley High School was over 2,300 students.

Then the district hired 30 counselors — one for each elementary and middle school and two at each high school.

CUSD also hired a team of district-level counselors to focus on college and career readiness, a transformation that allows Pelzer and other counselors to implement a comprehensive program that includes delivering classroom lessons, holding sessions for small groups of students, and being part of "teaching and learning" at the school.

"Now, we are able to be proactive. We are able to put in place programs that are based on students' needs," said Pelzer, a past School Counselor of the Yearfor California. "It’s remarkable what can happen with just a couple more counselors on staff."

The decision by CUSD and other districts across California to hire more counselors has reduced average counselor-to-student ratios statewide from some of the highest in the country, at more than 1,000-to-1 in 2010-11, to 663-to-1 — still much higher than the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) recommended 250-to-1 standard, but a significant reduction nonetheless.

Read the full article about student mental health services by Linda Jacobson at Education Dive.