By Willa Hoffman
Mental health is an increasingly rising issue the world faces today more than ever. Let’s look into the mental health at LREI and everyone affected. At LREI, mental health is a highlighted issue, as the students’ and staff’s mental and physical well-being is important to the school. Mental health plays a vital role in students’ overall success, and schools are uniquely positioned to provide the support they need. With the growing pressures of academics, extracurriculars, and social life, students often face overwhelming stress. Prioritizing mental health is essential for a healthier, more productive school community. To understand how our schools intersect the importance of mental health, we wanted to conduct a research investigation of how mental health has affected them as well as how LREI has changed their perception of mental health. We wanted to hear how students at LREI felt about Mental health, access, and comfortability, and to what level they feel Mental Health is talked about enough.
We interviewed the wellness team at LREI, Ty Beauchamp represented them by answering a few questions. We first asked him, What do you think is a large contributor to mental health issues in the school? ” He said, “the pressure students feel to compare themselves to others, whether in academics, social circles, or plans like college.” This seems to be a common theme within upperclassmen as school becomes a larger factor in your future. Ty says, “Other factors include differences of opinion with parents and challenges in friendships,”. He understands that not everyone is comfortable with sharing their needs in school, so they wanted to create a space in which students feel like they can express themselves. We then asked him about the accessibility of support to students. Ty describes the fact that the wellness team maintains an open policy, allowing students to come at any time convenient for them. As for the overall representation of mental health in our school, he acknowledges the fact that there is always room for improvement in mental health accessibility and exposure.
To further explore the topic of mental health we wanted to hear from a student’s perspective as it directly affects their lives. We asked one of the 11th graders at LREI, Ty David, What resources are available for those who are struggling with mental health issues. Ty believes that LREI “has pretty decent resources with mental health issues. There are two offices and I believe either 2-3 counselors there which gives students a lot of variety between counselors.” He feels he is supported but, “the school should promote it a bit more though because I didn’t really know much about the counseling until other students told me about it.” So while mental health is something that the school cares about, it’s not something that is widely expressed or known throughout our school. We then asked Ty, How comfortable do students feel approaching school counselors or staff about mental health concerns? He said, “From my experience, all the counselors are very approachable and respectful but they definitely have different ways they speak to you so I think it’s important to find the best fit for yourself.” His point here helps explain how there is a variety of support and different adults that you can go to if you need anything. The LREI community has many different adults that aren’t just a part of the wellness team which helps to allow students to find the right fit for them. At the end, Ty said, “I would like to add though that it is definitely hard to open up to counselors at your own school especially if it’s something you don’t want them to know.” There is a level of comfort when having access and ease to find help in the community. But Ty expresses concerns that we can assume many other students feel opening up with deep concerns because there is a sense of feeling as though you will “get in trouble.” The last question that we asked Ty was, Do you believe that mental health is something that is prioritized at LREI? He expressed how he thinks, “LREI has the opportunities to get help accessible but they should promote the mental health offices more to all students during morning meeting or something so the words out a bit more.” Although access to a helpful adult is available this doesn’t mean that every student has enough information or is reminded enough how to find these adults. Since this isn’t talked about enough some students may feel a lack of structure in seeking help and that it is more complex than just going into the room. We do want to add that there is help at LREI and it should not be forgotten if you or someone you know wants to speak with an adult about a personal or social problem there are and always will be many ways of finding this.