Sam Enlund
Social Media/Graphics Editor
Mental health is a rising concern for people of all ages, but particularly children and teenagers. As the number of students dealing with mental health concerns rises, schools have to adjust in order to help.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the “number of adolescents reporting poor mental health is increasing,” and “four in 10 (40%) students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.”
Students can be affected by a number of different mental health issues like anxiety, depression, ADHD, eating disorders, and more.
At Webster Groves High School specifically, a number of resources are available to students and staff struggling with their mental health. The counseling office has a quiet room: a space set aside where students can go during the day whenever they are feeling overwhelmed or just need a break.
School counselors are also available to help and talk to students. While part of their job is handling schedules and problems that occur alongside them, all school counselors are also certified every year and are trained to help students with mental health issues.
School counselor Ken Winningham explained that the most important part about helping people with mental health is to bring it to an adult that is trained to help.
Winningham said, “You feel so strongly for your peers, and when a peer is struggling you want to help, and that’s great, but you might not have the right tools. Quite often it causes the helper serious stress because they don’t know how to help but they know they should be helping.”
Winingham added trying to help a peer through mental health problems is sometimes harmful to the helper. The best thing that students can do is direct the student to someone trained to help them.
There are resources available to help students such as a number of different contacts listed on the school’s website. This ranges from professionals able to help with general difficulties to specific problems.
The Webster Groves High School website says, “Please contact WGHS’ social workers or counselors for assistance identifying local mental health professionals. They can provide names of therapists and psychiatrists with whom other families have had positive experiences.”
Anne Gibbs is also a social worker available through the school who can help, along with counselors and staff that are trained and more than willing to talk with students that are struggling or need someone to talk to.
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Sam Enlund-Social Media/Sports Editor This will be Sam Enlund’s first year on ECHO staff. She also made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year. |
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