After the tragedy in Uvalde, new attention has been focused on student mental health. However, according to a Columbia University study of mass killers, only 22% showed signs of being mentally ill. Similarly, a Southern Illinois University School of Medicine study of 157 school shootings found that 17% of school shooters showed signs of mental illness. However, virtually all school shooters suffer from acute emotional illness, according to research data gathered by Dr. B. Glenn Wilkerson, President/Founder of Adults Relating to Kids.
Dr. Wilkerson points out that recent medical research differentiates between mental illness and emotional illness. Mental illnesses such as clinical depression, bi-polar disorder, and schizophrenia are related to organic and neurological health. On the other hand, emotional illness is related to social and emotional health factors, such as feelings of being unloved, unworthy, isolated, unable to regulate negative emotions, and unable to feel empathy. Virtually all school shooters come from homes where they experience neglect, abuse, or bullying by overly demanding parents. They feel victimized by peers, and are shunned, humiliated, or ostracized at school. Dr. Wilkerson says, “Tormented by feelings of resentment and revenge, they vent their rage by ‘making the world pay’ for their soul-shattering emotional isolation.”
Inspired by research that shows that a key element in helping a child overcome emotional suffering is to have a stable, supportive relationship with at least one caring adult, Dr. Wilkerson developed online programs for parents and for teachers. Through the ARK Parent Engagement Program, parents and caregivers learn strategies to help them express unconditional love for their children, while still disciplining negative behaviors through positive communications combined with natural and logical consequences. The online, video-based course supports families with topics such as establishing boundaries, instilling responsibility, conquering depressing, and bully-proofing children. An online course for teachers, TEA-approved for CE credits, supports teachers in building positive relationships with students as well as giving them strategies for calming students, understanding misbehavior, and maintaining discipline.
Dr. Wilkerson asks, “Why are we only considering reactive solutions to school violence like hardening schools and arming teachers? If we want to proactively address the root cause of school violence, we must also tend to the emotional health of our students and provide support for parents, caregivers, and teachers.” The ARK Parent Engagement Program has been used in schools in Spring ISD, Dallas ISD, and Aldine ISD with positive results, and Dr. Wilkerson’s mission is to continue to educate policy makers, district leaders, and families on the importance of nurturing students’ emotional health. Emotionally healthy students make schools safer, and he also says, “Kids who feel loved, do better in school.”
For more information on the positive impact of ARK courses, see this link.