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Instead of mandatory physical health education, students should have the choice of choosing between mental or physical health education. Students can learn skills to manage stress, anxiety, depression, etc., such as using the CBT and ACT models. With the need for mental health services drastically increasing, especially with having to deal with COVID, students should be able to learn how to cope through difficult situations in a healthy way. Not all parents may be able to afford therapists or other mental health services for their child(ren). Having this service available to all students would help those in need of these services and help fight mental health stigma. If having classes specifically for mental health education are not an option, physical and/or health education classes should have a period of time each semester that allows for students to learn about mental health skills and healthy ways of coping by a certified mental health professional. LHS should also advertise mental health counseling available to students that allows them to make appointments to speak with a counselor if requested. There could also be an option of having an anonymous online message board where students can submit questions and/or ask for advise that goes directly to a mental health counselor, who can then answer the anonymous questions. When questions are answered (and deemed appropriate to answer/direct), the question and answer could be directly submitted to a portal of anonymous student questions and answers so students can find helpful information on the portal that may pertain to their situation, as well as to help show that they are not the only one going through a similar situation. These services, or ones similar, should also be available to ALL faculty of the school.
If possible, it would also be great to have a counselor who is able to reach out to colleges/universities or outside resources to help students continue mental health counseling if requested.
Michael Kotzan • Jul 3, 2022 at 4:11 pm
Instead of mandatory physical health education, students should have the choice of choosing between mental or physical health education. Students can learn skills to manage stress, anxiety, depression, etc., such as using the CBT and ACT models. With the need for mental health services drastically increasing, especially with having to deal with COVID, students should be able to learn how to cope through difficult situations in a healthy way. Not all parents may be able to afford therapists or other mental health services for their child(ren). Having this service available to all students would help those in need of these services and help fight mental health stigma. If having classes specifically for mental health education are not an option, physical and/or health education classes should have a period of time each semester that allows for students to learn about mental health skills and healthy ways of coping by a certified mental health professional. LHS should also advertise mental health counseling available to students that allows them to make appointments to speak with a counselor if requested. There could also be an option of having an anonymous online message board where students can submit questions and/or ask for advise that goes directly to a mental health counselor, who can then answer the anonymous questions. When questions are answered (and deemed appropriate to answer/direct), the question and answer could be directly submitted to a portal of anonymous student questions and answers so students can find helpful information on the portal that may pertain to their situation, as well as to help show that they are not the only one going through a similar situation. These services, or ones similar, should also be available to ALL faculty of the school.
If possible, it would also be great to have a counselor who is able to reach out to colleges/universities or outside resources to help students continue mental health counseling if requested.