Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has pressed the First Minister to commit to guaranteed access to school counselling across Scotland to avoid pupils "missing out".
Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Ms Davidson highlighted research by mental health charity SAMH that one in three children in Scotland will experience a mental health problem by 16 and nearly 7,000 children and young people were turned away from child and adolescent mental health services last year.
She said the charity also raised a lack of counselling services for secondary school children, saying those in Wales and Northern Ireland have guaranteed access to school-based counselling and pupils in Scotland "are still missing out".
Nicola Sturgeon said among Scottish Government actions to tackle mental health problems in young people was a review on referrals to children and adult mental health services to improve the process, but stressed there are a number of reasons for referrals being rejected.
She said the government is also reviewing the role of personal and social education, pastoral guidance and school counselling services "to make sure that every child has appropriate access to the right support in schools" and providing mental health first aid training for secondary schools
Ms Davidson asked: "Can (you) give us an assurance that this is something that Scottish Government will take forward in good time so that young people have the same counselling services available to them as elsewhere in the UK?"
Ms Sturgeon said a mental health link worker was already available to every school.
She added: "The review I have spoken about, which is an important part of the mental health strategy, will allow us then to determine what further action we need to take to make sure schools have access to the right resources to provide the best possible support to all young people."
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