Mental Health FAQ

Mental Health and the SAP team

The SAP team is made up of specially trained teachers who volunteer to help students that may be struggling for reasons other than academics. Although, we are not counselors and don’t provide treatment through SAP, we are often “first responders” when it comes to mental health issues.**

Our goal on the SAP team is to help determine if there is an issue and to help connect students and parents/guardians with treatment resources outside school. You can refer someone (or yourself) to the SAP team by clicking on the link in the sidebar.

While the issue of teen mental health is too complex to summarize here, we would like to share six core principles that we find ourselves returning to again and again on the SAP team. Click on each of the 6 items below for more in-depth information.

6 Core Principles:

• 1. 75% of all mental illnesses appear between the ages of 14 and 24.

  2. It can be hard to tell what is teen angst and what is more serious.

  3. It’s not all in the teen’s head. At least not the way most people mean.

  4. Having a mental illness is not a sign of weakness or a disgrace.

  5. Mental illness happens even to people whose lives seem good.

  6. Mental health treatment works and people do get better.

There are many resources available on the web for more information. You can find links to some additional, information on our "SAP resources” page.