Mental health of primary importance to DDHS case workers
Posted Nov. 1, 2022
Cub Reporter
Case workers are cautious of students' mental health at David Douglas high school, and it is one of the main conditions they think about on a daily basis.
Mental health starts from being stressed over regular events then it can become more anxiety and overwhelm students. When a student is in the depressed stage of mental health counseling can be good for the student counseling is a one-on-one counseling session. Whatever is said in the session will not leave the room unless the conversation concerns the counselor. Sometimes counselors will need to include gardiens to let them know that a student is having a hard time. Some students can be very emotional in counseling sessions. It is normal to get upset in a session, especially if a student is depressed or stressed about events at home or school.
Mental health is not always a bad thing; it can be a good thing. There is a good kind of anxiety, the kind that makes students nervous before a test or a race. Good for mental health is sleeping, and exercising. Those are the most important a student can really do to try and impact their mental health. Eating well is right after that if they don’t have good gut health, that means that they are eating good foods for the students’ stomach and intestines. It can really impact students' mental health.
Mental health problems can be from genetics, generational trauma, experiencing traumatic events, not seeing good coping skills and resilience being modeled, lack of access to basic needs, and ongoing stress. The biggest challenges for students with mental health issues all seem to have this shame when it comes to asking for help. It seems weak or not masculine. Addressing their mental health, especially when the student is very young, might be the single most important decision in their life. If they aren’t dealing with their health now, it has the potential to impact their relationships, connections, and overall happiness in their future.
When a student is worried about mental health, letting a teacher or guardian know that they are struggling is an important first step to take. Hopefully the teacher or guardian can help the student and support or encourage them to take some steps to assess whether they can cope with or manage on their own whether it's homework that the student needs extra help with. Generally, if a student's mental health symptoms are regularly getting in the way of what a student should be doing or want to be doing, it’s probably a good indication that they might want to get some additional help. At the school, so many adults can help them get some support, check in with a staff or a friend that has trust and they can help connect them with some mental support.
If counseling doesn't work out the student doesn't connect well with their counselor. Encourage them to advocate for themselves and ask for a different therapist, even if the student is worried that their counselors might be hurt, most therapists understand that having a good match is more important than anything else. Tools and techniques aren't what they need. Maybe they are into talk therapy and really want to do art therapy. If they aren't feeling even a tiny bit after about 6 sessions, it might be time to reassess. The client might be holding back. If the counselor doesn't know that home is the reason for a student's anxiety or depression, it might be challenging to make headway because together, they aren't addressing the root of the problem and are just staying on superficial issues. Or maybe they aren't ready to do counseling. And that's okay however, while it can be scary, the more of themselves they can bring into counseling, the better the results.
Mental health problems can be genetics, generational trauma, experiencing traumatic events, not seeing good coping skills and resilience being modeled, lack of access to basic needs, and ongoing stress. The biggest challenges for students with mental health issues all seem to have this shame when it comes to asking for help. It seems weak or not masculine. Addressing their mental health, especially when a student is very young, might be the single most important decision in their life. If they aren’t dealing with their health now, it has the potential to impact their relationships, connections, and overall happiness in the future.
“Acknowledging that the problem might be bigger than what they can manage alone is one of the biggest hurdles,” said Buckley.