Mental Health

LEVEL: ADVANCED

Why:

Adolescent mental health challenges are common, yet still often stigmatized. We can help by sharing good information about what they are and how best to respond.

Warm-Up:

Do you know anyone who struggles with mental health?

Exploration:

Mental health problems are common: about 1 in 5 teens will experience a mental health challenge. Fortunately, people are becoming more open about these challenges, so that more people can get the help they deserve. Among teens, some of the most common mental health problems are depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Explore how much the group already knows about these, filling in knowledge where helpful. What wisdom is already here in the group about how to help someone struggling with mental health? We can respond with empathy, unconditional acceptance, and by getting help from a trusted adult.

Further Information:

In any discussion of mental health with tweens and teens, make sure you have a clear understanding of when you need to call in more support. You don’t have to have the perfect answer or response to everything. For example, is there a counselor, or a colleague who is a trusted resource, who you can ask for guidance if a student raises a mental health issue beyond what you feel confident handling? Make sure you are also clear on when a group’s confidentiality should be broken. For example, if a student is in danger due to self-harm, an eating disorder, or other outcomes of mental health challenges, then it is always important to seek additional help.

There are many resources online, and more being added every day as awareness grows around mental health challenges in adolescents in particular. Two useful resources at the time of writing are the NAMI California youth website: https://namica.org/get-help/in-school/youth-mental-health-resources/ and the Jed Foundation’s Mental Health Resource Center: https://jedfoundation.org/mental-health-resource-center/