Next year, Tallinn, in collaboration with Peaasi.ee, will introduce new psychologists into the city’s school system to support youth mental health. The program will recruit individuals with a background in psychology who will undergo a year-long mentoring program. By providing students with easy access to mental health support, the initiative aims to prevent the development of mental health issues among young people.
Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski highlighted that offering extra psychological support in schools is part of the city’s Happy Children Budget. “Our aim is to create the best possible environment for children to grow and learn, which requires a dedicated focus on their mental health. This new program, launched with a trusted partner, will improve access to mental health services in schools. Next year, we plan to welcome 20 new psychologists to our education system,” Ossinovski said.
The program will offer mental health counseling to students aged 12 and older, helping to address the shortage of psychologists in schools and enabling existing school psychologists to focus on students with greater needs.
Kadri Pahla, head of Peaasi.ee, described the collaboration as a major step forward in preventing mental health challenges among young people and reducing the workload of school psychologists. This initiative allows to spot and address issues earlier, preventing them from growing into bigger problems. Mental health counseling will support youth in dealing with challenges such as mood swings, anxiety, anger, relationship difficulties, sleep issues, and other fundamental mental health needs.
The program will recruit individuals with a psychology background who are not currently working in the field. They will receive additional training and professional support to help them succeed in the education system. All work with students will be supervised by a clinical psychologist from MTÜ Peaasjad.
Source: tallinn.ee