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Jesse B. Davis
As the United States was becoming more and more of an industrial nation, a focus on vocational training started becoming prevalent in schools. Jesse B. Davis, who was a superintendent, pushed for teachers to provide lessons on personal character and problem solving. -
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud, a psychologist, brought his theories of human behavior and methods of psychopathology to the United States. -
World War I
When the war began, a need for intellectually capable and emotionally stable Americans arose. This led to the development of psychometrics, which served as a gateway tool to more psychological measurement instruments. -
Child Guidance
The focus started to turn to the development of children. Treatment centers opened to help treat and study children with atypical developments or behaviors. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression struck America in 1929. This helped to foster the need for the development of family and marriage counseling. There was also a focus on counseling families to help find employment and escape poverty. -
Alcoholics Anonymous
As self help support groups were becoming more popular, Alcoholics Anonymous was established to help individuals and families suffering from alcoholism. -
World War II
Psychiatric evaluations became necessary as individuals enlisted in military as mental illness became more prevalent. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) also became prevalent in those who served in the war. -
National Mental Health Act
The National Mental Health Act helped to ensure that funds were available to support new ways to diagnosis and treat those with mental illness. -
FERPA
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act was passed to ensure confidentiality and protect student and family information, and share it when appropriate. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed to ensure the equal treatment of Americans with disabilities in all public settings, including schools. -
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act was instated to try to make healthcare more accessible to Americans. Within this umbrella, mental health and treatment is included. -
Current Events
With an uprise in violence, specifically, school shootings, mental illness has become a focus of America. Many schools are changing policies, modifying screening processes, and attempting to provide additional and comprehensive support to students. Though the future of mental health and counseling is not clear, there is sure to be reform and steps taken to help ensure the well-being of the students and citizens of America.
