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Money, savings, bills, insurance, and the cost of treatment can be very stressful. It can also be confusing. Check out this resource from Mental Health America.
Big feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are often impacted by grief during the holiday season. Please check out these resources:
Grief/Loss Support Services
Grief/Loss Support Services
Compiled List of Grief Support Services (Safe Crossings Foundation)
Eluna: Camps, online groups, and more
Healthy relationships are a pivotal part of our mental wellness. Unhealthy and abusive relationships impact many facets of our wellbeing. Here are some resources that may help as you navigate the journey toward creating and sustaining helpful connections.
Healthy Relatinshisps_Teen Brochure.pdf
cycle of abuse.jpgcycle of abuse ways to get help.jpgCYBERSAFETY
Hey Vikings: This info is compiled to help you learn more about how to be safe, stay safe, and help others.
A healthy relationship to self and others has informed consent and understood boundaries. This includes our online / on phone presence too.
If you find yourself in need of support - reach out to an adult you trust. The counseling center staff, specialists, and experts are a resource for you to utilize.
Results from the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey reveal that 13% of 8th, and roughly 18% of10th and 12th graders are receiving sexual images, including photos, videos, and texts.
Lake Stevens School District Health Youth Survey data indicates that 18% of 8th, 30% of 10th, and 28% of 12th graders have received sexual images.
Sometimes data can help us understand that "not everyone does it." So, it is important to note- most students are not receiving images.
This behavior can result in unintended consequences and poses safety risks.
If you're interested in learning more about how to support yourself, a friend, a student, or a family member, please explore these graphics and resources.
Resource LINKS:
National Institute of Health: Research Publication
RCW- WA State Disclosing Intimate Images
Take It Down NOW (Report, Resources, Support)
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Report, Resource, Support)
NCMEC Get Help Now (Resources, Guides, Info)
LEARN MORE- Healthy Relationships NetSmartz
LEARN MORE - Sextortion (red flags, what to do, how to help)
What is Consent?
What is Consent?
Check out the video, it goes through what consent is in a lighthearted but very clear way.
Build and Maintain Healthy Relationships:
Check out this website to learn more about boundaries, healthy relationships, and consent.
Check Out Student Voice Podcasts:
Check Out the Valhalla - LSHS News lshsvalhalla.com/
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month (May), the Counseling Center Team will be in the Career Center (and the hallway) every Wellness Wednesday at lunch. Each week we will feature a different theme centered on fostering effective individual and collective coping mechanisms. This effort not only aims to educate and empower students but also offers some tangible incentives. There will be some cool prizes. And, an opportunity to earn a community service hour for each week of participation (contingent upon completing and submitting a reflective exit ticket).
This is a heartfelt movement to amplify awareness, enhance self-advocacy skills, and reinforce the Viking Way. As we work toward the 3 Rs: we hope to build Respect= reject stigma; Responsibility= bolster wellness; and Readiness= ask for help (and offer it when able).
Relevant Mental Health Awareness Month resources:
Mental Health America: Here, you will find screening tools, strategies for talking (listening), ways to deal with negative media reports, and more. MHA has a Mental Health Awareness Month toolkit compiled here.
Jed Foundation: This site is full of resources to support prevention, intervention, crisis support and more. If your student is struggling or in crisis there is hope & help.
Seize The Awkward: This site has youth friendly resources on multiple topics that support mental wellness, growth, and active coping skills. They have a curated section dedicated to Mental Health Awareness Month.
Mental Health is Health: This website has a plethora of information on topics that support wellness, healing, prevention, and self care.
Youth.gov: This site offers data and information on topics related to youth mental health / mental illness.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: This is a campaign called "Talk away the dark." Information about connections, conversations, and support.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): NAMI's 2024 Mental Health Awareness Month toolkit theme is "Take the Moment," emphasizing free programs, groups, and resources provided locally and nationally.
Joining a club, participating in sports, volunteering in the community, finding passion in a hobby- these are all things that help you find out who you want to be.
Check out the links to the many ways that you can find a place to be you! Academics, Athletics, Activities, and Arts. Take your pick!
Remember, there are people and places to find more resources. Start with the counseling center, schedule time with me, find Mr. Pitkin, check out the career center. Our team is here to support your growth as a student, as a human, and as a member of our Viking community.
Flyer for Teen Support Group march 2024 (1).pdf
Class of 2027 Orientation, Club Fair and Curriculum Night 2/26/24
LINK to Mental Health America Resource -
Strategies you can use in class.
Strategies you can use in class.
Benefits of less device distraction.
Benefits of less device distraction.
"Selfies, Social, & Screens: Navigating Virtual Spaces for Youth," provides educational information and tips on how to tackle some of the most common online stressors for youth, like social comparison, body image, misinformation, and cyberbullying.
Inside the toolkit you’ll find:
Fact sheets and tips for youth
Fact sheets and tips for adults
Key messages
A sample drop-in article
Sample social media posts and images
Posters
A guide to national and local resources
Avoid Avoiding
Here are some great tips as you manage stress.
Joining a club, participating in sports, volunteering in the community, finding passion in a hobby- these are all things that help you find out who you want to be.
Check out the links to the many ways that you can find a place to be you! Academics, Athletics, Activities, and Arts. Take your pick!
Remember, there are people and places to find more resources. Start with the counseling center, schedule time with me, find Mr. Pitkin, check out the career center. Our team is here to support your growth as a student, as a human, and as a member of our Viking community.
Academic Stress and Burnout
Prevention, coping tips.
Check out this article from the LSHS News publication
Winter Active Coping.pdfActive Coping.pdfhOLIDAYS AND GRIEF.pdfResources for Coaches / Athletics
Resources for Coaches / Athletics
JED Foundation (Suicide Prevention)
Resources for Athletes
Resources for Athletes
JED Foundation (Suicide Prevention)
National Alliance for Mental Illness: Check out this link for Youth and Caregiver resources, tips, and tools.
From NAMI: Crisis Resources
From NAMI: Crisis Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately.
If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.
Need more information, referrals or support? Contact the NAMI HelpLine.
988
Crisis line numbers can be hard to remember in the moment. Now, we have a national effort to reduce confusion and increase connection during moments of need.
Remember: You do not have to be suicidal to call a crisis line. If you need to talk, want to talk, feel yourself ramping up toward panic,
need resources, want to help a friend.... REACH OUT.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Viking Students: Our counseling center and specialists team are working to help highlight the importance of taking care of yourselves and helping to take care of our community in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (May). We hope to help increase awareness of the support that you have available to you virtually, here on campus, and in our community. Most students don't know our faces or where we are located on campus. We are aiming to teach you about who we are so that you feel more connected and able to access support.
The other goal is to continue the process of destigmatizing the topic of mental health. We hope that talking about mental health struggles and successes becomes more of a norm and that asking for help (and offering it) become part of the "Viking way." During the month of May, you will notice your google backdrop will change each week. The first week of May, you will see the school counselors. The second week you will see our specialists. The following week you will see our school psychologists and office staff. For the last week of May, we will have a link to a brief video with all of us together.
We will send a short message like this to all students with some information, a hello, and will include some opportunities to learn more about wellness.
For those of you who are here on campus, please look for us at screening stations or in the hallways. We are usually the silly ones dancing and welcoming you! We are also the ones sporting purple baseball caps with our names and roles printed on them.
Support for BIPOC communities.
Support for BIPOC communities.
BIPOC communities are often overlooked and are less likely to trust systemic support. Some medical and mental health providers work toward allyship so that they can help build trust. There have been so many years of systemic trauma that have gone unrecognized and defended. This article speaks to BIPOC mental health and supports. There is hope and I aim to be part of the trust building and health equity. Please consider what kind of mental health support you may need. We strive toward being strong advocates in the counseling center and are here to listen.
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