You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist 165. The Dark Side of School Mental Health Services: What Parents Need to Know with Deb Fillman
I welcome back Deb Fillman to delve into the complex intersection of education and mental health services in schools. We explore the growing trend of universal mental health screenings and the implications they have for students, teachers, and parents. Deb shares her concerns about how these programs often blur the lines between education and therapy, placing undue burdens on teachers and potentially mislabeling normal childhood behaviors as mental health issues.
We discuss the shift from diagnosing conditions like ADHD to a broader pathologization of student behavior, raising critical questions about the effectiveness and necessity of these mental health initiatives. Are we truly addressing the needs of vulnerable students, or are we creating a culture of over-diagnosis and dependency on medication?
Additionally, we examine the ethical considerations surrounding consent and privacy in school settings, particularly when it comes to sensitive topics like mental health. As we navigate these pressing issues, we aim to empower parents to think critically about the resources available to their children and to advocate for more meaningful educational experiences. Join us as we unpack these vital topics and consider the future of mental health in education.
Deborah Fillman is the founder of The Reason We Learn, a YouTube channel and Substack publication dedicated to exposing what’s happening in education and empowering parents to think clearly, ask better questions, and take charge of their children’s learning.
A longtime homeschooling mother of three—two now adults and one finishing high school—Deborah combines personal experience with deep research to help parents cut through the noise of educational jargon, political agendas, and the steady erosion of academic standards. She’s known for her clear, principled commentary and her commitment to parental authority in education.
In addition to her work online, Deborah is a private tutor and enrichment instructor with Cogito Learning Center, where she teaches logic, writing, and literature to students from across the country. She also advises families seeking alternatives to the conventional curriculum, helping them identify high-quality resources that challenge students intellectually and support their growth in character, independence, and critical thinking.
Whether through video, writing, or direct instruction, Deborah’s mission is the same: to restore clarity, courage, and common sense to the conversation about how—and why—we educate.
cogitolearningcenter.com - Summer session starts July 6. Registration now open and space is limited.
00:00 Start
[00:01:15] Mental health services in schools.
[00:05:03] Overdiagnosing ADHD in schools.
[00:07:30] Oppositional Defiant Disorder Controversy.
[00:12:29] Mental health in schools.
[00:15:51] Consent and surveillance in schools.
[00:20:18] Feelings and learning in classrooms.
[00:25:08] Mental health in schools.
[00:29:30] Vulnerability screening in schools.
[00:30:14] The importance of parental insight.
[00:36:35] Boundary violations in schools.
[00:39:05] Perverse incentives in education.
[00:43:30] Mass-producing personality disorders.
[00:45:28] Therapy access and student needs.
[00:50:26] School mental health support systems.
[00:54:39] Boundaries for adolescent autonomy.
[00:56:36] Autonomy and problem-solving in schools.
[01:00:44] Mental health program challenges.
[01:03:37] Supervision challenges in therapy training.
[01:08:06] Inadequate supervision in training.
[01:14:03] Ethics of mental health in education.
[01:15:27] Parental involvement in counseling.
[01:20:06] Family dynamics in therapy.
[01:24:44] Parent-child relationship complexities.
[01:27:31] Estrangement and parental dynamics.
[01:31:18] Relationship with adult child.
[01:34:59] Family therapy and consent complexities.
[01:39:01] Divorce's impact on teenagers.
[01:42:52] Parental blame in therapy settings.
[01:47:38] Family therapy and trans-identified kids.
[01:50:27] Mental health in schools.
[01:54:14] Emotional impact on schoolchildren.
[01:57:57] Navigating gender craze impact.
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SHOW NOTES & transcript with help from SwellAI.
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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.
Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.