School Mental Health Professionals' Perceptions of Principal Leadership and Working Conditions during Remote and Hybrid School Operations during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Shortages of school counselors and other school mental health providers have presented ongoing concerns about meeting the mental health needs of students before, during, and following the COVID-19 global pandemic. During school closure due to COVID-19, school mental health professionals faced a variety of new challenges and stressors, presenting additional concerns that may be important to address for their recruitment and retention. To provide insight into the ways school principals can best support school-based mental health supports and services, this study aimed to understand the perspectives of school mental health professionals regarding principals' leadership and support of positive workplace conditions during remote school operations due to COVID-19. Following a sequential mixed-methods design, this study included both quantitative and qualitative analyses, drawing on surveys completed by 74 school mental health professionals in a southeastern US state and in-depth interviews completed with a subsample of these professionals (n = 14). Results of regression analyses suggested that positive perceptions of leadership and working conditions "prior" to school closures (measured retrospectively) were significantly associated with positive perceptions of leadership and conditions "during" remote/hybrid schooling. Results also suggested that principal support "during" remote/hybrid operations was positively associated with positive perceptions of working conditions. Findings from qualitative analyses indicated that many participants experienced supportive leadership practices from principals and cooperative team efforts among leaders and staff. Many participants also described challenges related to resources and service delivery. By positively cultivating and maintaining leadership and working conditions during school closures and other periods of stress and uncertainty, school leaders can help support the school professionals providing supports and services to some of our most vulnerable youth.