Increasing Mental Health Awareness in the Middle School

“Since the pandemic, the number of students presenting with complex needs is slowing down,” said Gayle Gingold, Middle School counselor. “I feel like there’s more opportunity to do preventative work.”

This year, Gayle began a year-long Mental Health Awareness Campaign in hopes of delivering short, engaging lessons to provide students with takeaway mental health tools. This campaign will give students multiple avenues of support through interactive lessons taught by Advisory. 

“Because of today’s instant information culture, kids want the life hacks and shortcuts when dealing with their mental health,” Gayle said. “I’ll offer in-person counseling and try to meet with them long-term to better understand their needs, but they also want quick pro-tips they can do that day.”

Gayle has met students’ needs through this program by providing quick and accessible mental health lessons. Faculty advisors are teaching several coping strategies to kids, which simultaneously provides an opportunity to grow trusting relationships with one another. 

“The Mental Health Awareness that we’re creating in the Middle School is happening in Advisory,” Gayle said. “We started by teaching them four coping styles, which are: distraction, calming, physical, and processing. Social connections are also extremely important for mental health.”

These four coping skills encourage students to be positive and proactive in times of stress and anxiety. The ‘distraction’ coping skill encourages students to get lost in a great TV show or book when they’re overwhelmed. Calming coping skills lean into the essence of relaxation, deep breathing, and guided meditation to ease discomfort. The physical coping skills drive students to get out on the soccer field or take a walk during periods of anxiety. Finally, the processing stage allows students to talk to someone or journal their negative thoughts.

“We taught these skills to them before the election, because we had no idea what sort of emotions that would bring,” Gayle said. “The plan is to have the kids create their own toolkit to fill after every Advisory lesson.” 

Students will be given a set of notecards, which they will use to write their Advisory lesson takeaways and notes. They will then laminate and hole-punch the cards, put them on a ring, creating a tangible toolkit for their personal use. 

“They can thumbtack it to their wall, carry it in their backpack, or put it in their lockers,” Gayle said. “I love that the students need to write everything out. It’s an embodiment practice.”

Bush parents are eager to be proactive in their child’s mental health and have asked what resources are available for their child and them. Wellness will be hosting a virtual workshop, led by Middle School Wellness Faculty and Advisor to Family Education Planning, Sarah Rose Olson, on Thursday, December 12. This insightful virtual event is a great way for Middle School families to get a glimpse into students' experiences in the classroom and facilitate dialogue between Middle School families. Gayle and Sarah Rose hope to involve parents in the toolkit and virtual workshop to glean insight into their children’s process.

“Now, they have something to show their parents that they can look through together.” Gayle informed. “Having a toolkit that resonates throughout the family is really important.”

Encouraging students to create these interactive toolkits are just the first phase of the Mental Health Awareness Campaign. 

“Part Two of the campaign starts in January,” Gayle said. “All faculty and staff will wear green ribbons and buttons every Monday to show their support for mental health. They’ll also wear yellow T-shirts that say, ‘you’re not alone’, because yellow is a hopeful color that makes people feel optimistic. I think this will be a great way to help kids feel more comfortable talking about those vulnerable topics.”